No Good Deed
by New Decade
Summary: Distance can make the heart grow fonder or cause it to break. When Calleigh has to temporarily leave Miami, an uncontrollable string of circumstances occur that puts relationships to the test and proves that no good deed goes unpunished.
1. Preface: Mine

New story for you guys! Here's the preface for it, but the first official chapter should be up by Saturday or Sunday.

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

* * *

><p><span>Preface<span>

Mine

Eric leaned in to once again recapture her lips, not allowing any part of her escape for a single moment, seeing as he was going to have to endure an excessively prolonged period away from her before long. Bearing that in mind, he pulled her tighter into his chest and his lips touched the base of her throat; she released a shuddering breath of pleasure at the tenderness of his lips, the way they caused her skin to tickle because his touch was so light yet so completely effective.

"I wish you didn't have to go tomorrow," he mumbled, looking up into the verdant eyes of his girlfriend. Calleigh was lying atop his chest, her own covered by the shirt she had removed from his torso earlier in the night. She gave Eric a sympathetic smile and gently rested her forehead against his.

"It's not too late for me to cancel, you know," she offered, her arms wrapping around his neck.

The proposal was tempting and the greedier side of him wanted to immediately accept the offer, but his conscience automatically stopped him. The opportunity this presented for Calleigh was a once in a lifetime deal and he couldn't deprive her of that.

He brushed his nose against Calleigh's and sighed. "No, you have to go," he admitted reluctantly. "I'm just going to miss you, that's all."

Calleigh leaned in to press her lips to the pulse of Eric's neck before traveling up his vein; she could sense the speed of his heart accelerating beneath her lips.

"It'll only be a month. We're going to be so busy that we won't have time to miss each other." At least that was how Calleigh attempted to cope with it in her mind, though she realized she was going to certainly miss him.

Eric didn't tell Calleigh so, but he doubted he could go a month without longing for her all the while. Nonetheless, he nodded and guided her lips to touch his, determined to lose himself within her for one more night.

The kisses escalated from soft and tender to more intense and even urgent. Eric snaked his arms around her torso and rotated onto his to gently press Calleigh's back against the mattress as he hovered over her and his tongue began to explore the contents of her mouth. His hips began to grind against her own and began to thrust himself into her, a moan of pleasure vibrating from the back of her throat. The sound increased as he put himself deeper within her as the minutes of the night began to dwindle…as did their time together.

In a few hours the alarm would sound and Calleigh would have to leave the warmth of his arms, not to be felt again for four weeks.


	2. Unlimited

Chapter One

Unlimited

"Thank you," Calleigh grinned up at Eric a week earlier as he pulled out the chair for her. They had made plans to go out on a date for some well-deserved quality time together outside of work and home. Eric had moved into Calleigh's just a few days ago and the house had become over-populated with belongings of Eric's and the floor was littered with a surplus number of boxes. In the midst of unpacking, organizing, and debating what possessions to get rid of, they had seldom chances to enjoy each other's company. That situation was remedied by the Italian restaurant they were sitting in, the bright red walls gave off a vibrant glow when the light from the wooden chandeliers bounced off it. On the walls hung water colored landscapes of the Italian countryside and vineyards, making the customers feel warm from the use of colors. However, Calleigh and Eric hadn't any interest in the art, only one another.

Even as they drank and ate their entrees, rarely did their eyes travel away from their lover. Eric took note of how the lone tea candle in the center of their table flickered in Calleigh's eyes, causing them to glisten and her green irises glow. Her pale pink lips matched the light coloring of her cheeks, subtly contrasting with her fair skin; her corn silk hair had been lightly curled and cascaded down her back. She was simply stunning in her navy blue dress and Eric had lost count by this point how many times he had told her how beautiful she looked.

"This is nice," Calleigh commented, looking around the restaurant for a brief moment. "When was the last time we actually went _out _on a date?"

Eric chuckled. "A long time."

Calleigh reached over to place her hand over his, which he turned to take hold of her hand, giving it a gentle squeeze as his lips turned up into his angelic smile. Seeing him so filled with happiness gave Calleigh the equal amount of joy, however it also gave her a pang of sadness to know she may, before long, go four weeks without seeing that smile. Calleigh had planned on speaking to Eric about her possible departure tonight , but the sight of him being so happy and the evening being so romantic was too perfect for her to spoil; she would simply discuss it with him tomorrow.

From across the room came a chorus of four waiters singing "Happy Birthday" to an elderly woman in a nearby booth. Eric and Calleigh turned in their direction in time to see the blushing woman cover her face with a pair of slightly withered hands; it was apparent that she was slightly embarrassed, but she continued to smile. A man about her age wrapped an arm around her shoulders, laughing heartily at her reaction.

The final few lines of the song came to an end and one of the waiters placed a pastry with a candle in front of her. The lady had uncovered her face by now and blew out the candle. Calleigh, Eric, and several others applauded as the woman's husband kissed her silver hair; it wasn't a mystery who suggested the quartet come sing that song to her.

"That's sweet," Calleigh observed before turning back to Eric. "Those two have probably been together for over fifty years."

Eric pondered on that for a moment and how indescribable that feeling must be, to love a single person for such a period of time and grow old with that individual. He could easily see that future for him and Calleigh, still gazing at her with the same devotion in his eyes as he did now.

"Can you see yourself with one person for that long?" Eric asked curiously.

Calleigh's lips slid into a smirk. "Maybe," she admitted. Before she and Eric had reached this level of intimacy, Calleigh couldn't see herself being capable of such a thought. In her world, for the longest time, love and marriage were nothing more than a concept that were never followed through; that was all she had known. But her vision had been altered over the last few years and love and marriage now seemed to be an institution that could well be eternal.

"There is one guy I know I could see being with fifty years from now," she said as she took a sip of wine, giving him a meaningful look.

"Really? Do I know him?" Eric asked coyly.

"You might. He's tall, he's handsome, he's smart, and he really loves the water. Ring any bells?"

"No," he shook his head before giving Calleigh a playful wink; she rolled her eyes at his faux obliviousness.

"Can you see yourself being with someone that long?" she questioned.

"Definitely," Eric replied, his voice soft and profound as his eyes rested on Calleigh's face, his intentions for the future clear in his deep brown eyes.

Calleigh felt her cheeks turn crimson once again under her stare, feeling a little ridiculous about it. She had been well aware of Eric's feelings for her for years now and that knowledge should have adapted her to the flattery he bestowed upon her, yet she would still blush.

Calleigh rested her hand back over Eric's and weaved her fingers into the spaces between his. "I love you," she whispered, the world surrounding them having faded from her mind.

"I love you too," he replied sweetly before closing the distance between them to kiss her.

Calleigh didn't allow her mind to linger on the fact their kisses were probably numbered and she would potentially have to leave for a month; instead she lost herself in the tenderness of Eric's lips.

The following day, Calleigh stepped into the lab where Walter was comparing two shoe prints, one from the scene of a homicide, the other from their prime suspect who was currently in holding.

"Hey, did we get a hit on the gun?" Walter asked.

"Gun was registered to our suspect, Daryl Parton, and his prints were all over it. We tested him for GSR, he was positive," she reported, pulling on her lab coat.

"That's a lot of evidence already," he commented.

"Yeah, and if these shoeprints match we'll have enough to convict him. How's that coming, anyway?"

He let out a frustrated sigh as he looked at them. "Well, the one from the scene doesn't match the shoes he was wearing when we brought him in. But he may have changed his shoes."

"I'll get Eric and Ryan to head to his house and see if they can find the right pair," Calleigh said, pulling out her phone.

"Cal, save your minutes, Delko is right over there," Walter said, nodding towards the elevator where Eric was waiting.

Calleigh turned on her heel and hurried out of the lab. "Wait up!" she called to grab his attention before she could get to him.

He turned towards her, giving her a warm smile. "Hey, what's going on?"

"Can you and Ryan head over to Parton's house and find the shoes he was wearing at the scene?" she asked.

"Sure, what are we looking for?" he questioned, now having missed the elevator.

"A shoe that matches this," she said, handing him the copy of the shoe print.

"Got it, I'll find Wolfe," Eric said, pressing the elevator button again.

"Thanks," she grinned. "Keep me posted."

"Don't I always?" he smirked.

Calleigh rolled her eyes before turning and heading back towards the lab. Eric chuckled and stepped onto the elevator, trying to keep his thoughts professional and not let them become consumed by Calleigh and the sexual aftermath of their date. However, it was a constant challenge, especially he and Ryan started searching Parton's house and conversations began.

"So, how did that date go last night?" Ryan asked as he rummaged the closet for a pair of shoes that could have been at the crime scene.

Eric and Calleigh had by this point given up on denying the allegations made by their colleagues in regards to their relationships; it wasn't as though anyone believed their lies anyway.

"Great," Eric replied as he peered under the bed. "We had a good time."

"That's it?" Ryan demanded puzzled. "That's all you're going to tell me?"

"Yeah," he nodded nonchalantly as he got up.

"You're no fun," Ryan sighed.

Eric shrugged. "How's the closet?"

"This guy owns too many freakin' shoes," he grumbled. "None with the pattern we need yet."

"I'll check the back door, maybe he kicked them off there." He proceeded through the living room and to the back screen door, where a lone pair of sneakers sat and the blood on them was clear even from where Eric stood.

He crouched down by the shoes and snapped on a glove from his kit before picking up the shoe to examine the bottom. Sure enough, there was a pattern of concentric circles on the sole of the shoe.

"Bingo," he said to himself.

* * *

><p>"I was in a meeting," was what Daryl Parton used as his alibi for the time Idina Carol, the victim, had been murdered. Horatio and Calleigh shared an unconvinced glance, their evidence strongly suggesting otherwise.<p>

"Daryl, we don't appreciate being lied to," Horatio warned in a stern voice.

"I'm not lying," he said with a shrug of his shoulder.

Calleigh slid a legal pad and a pencil across the surface of the table. "Then you shouldn't have a problem writing the names of everyone who was at that meeting and their contact information," she stated. "Just so we confirm that you're telling the truth, you understand."

Daryl stared at the yellow paper for a moment before picking up the pencil, he twiddled it in his fingers, determined not to look at the officers, then he let out a sigh of defeat as he shoved it and the pad away.

"That's what I thought," Horatio murmured, placing his hands on his hips. "Now, I'll ask again, where were you between seven and nine this morning?"

Daryl remained silent and nervously nibbled on his thumb nail; finally, with his eyes in mixture of rage and guilt, he demanded that he wanted a lawyer.

"You'll get one," Horatio assured. "And probably a twenty-five to life prison sentence….Get him out of here," he added to the patrolman on the sidelines.

Daryl was escorted out while Calleigh grabbed her legal pad and pencil.

"There is no such thing as an easy confession, is there?" she sighed, getting to her feet.

Horatio chuckled quietly in agreement as they left Interrogation. "Not yet….Have you given St. Louis any more thought?" the lieutenant asked, pausing in the middle of the hall to face Calleigh.

"A bit, yeah," she replied. "But I'm going to think about it a bit more, weigh my pros and cons, you know?"

"Yeah," Horatio nodded in understanding.

"Just the thought of being away from my lab for a month…." Calleigh shuddered, however, in truth, it wasn't just her Firearm lab she would despise being separated from.

Horatio laughed a little. "Well, just let me know when you make up your mind, okay?"

"Will do," she promised. Calleigh had actually made up her mind about going to St. Louis to embrace an opportunity of a lifetime. A part of her longed to go, however another piece of her was still in true deliberation; she didn't want to be away from Miami for too long. Besides, she had yet to even bring it up to Eric and she realized she couldn't leave him in the dark for too much longer; in fact, she planned on speaking with him tonight about it.

* * *

><p>Calleigh turned on the dryer with the final load of laundry and smiled as Eric looped his arms around her waist.<p>

"How nice of you to show up _after_ I finish the laundry," Calleigh commented.

"I was busy observing," he mumbled as his lips touched her neck.

Calleigh raised an eyebrow and turned to face him. "Observing?"

Eric shrugged innocently and pulled her tighter into his chest. "I'll unload," he volunteered.

"Thank you," she grinned before stretching up to peck him on the lips.

He chuckled and Calleigh felt herself suddenly being lifted up onto the dryer, the vibrations from the machine flowed through her. She looked upon Eric, whose hands began to slowly caress her thighs, and a sad smile came to her lips.

"What's wrong?" Eric asked, noticing her shift in emotion.

"Nothing," she assured him. "But I need to talk to you about something."

"What?"

Calleigh sighed and pushed herself from the surface of the machine. "One of my old college professors called me," she began. "He now teaches at a university just outside of St. Louis and apparently the police department in St. Louis is trying to expand on their Firearms department. He recommended me as a consult."

A large, proud smile came to Eric's face. "That's great," he declared, taking her hand.

"You think?"

"Yeah," he said as though it were obvious. "Are you going to take it?"

"I think I will," she nodded. "There's just a catch."

"What kind of a catch?" he asked, the remains of a smile still on his face.

"I'd have to go to Missouri," she sighed. "For a month, at least."

Eric rolled his lips at those words. "Of course."

They remained silent for a moment , giving the news a chance to sink in. Eric couldn't deny the opportunity was amazing, just like he couldn't deny the month without her was going to be utter hell.

"When do you leave?" he asked.

"The end of the week. The guys in St. Louis only just got in touch with H to tell me. I've just got to give them the green light that I'm going first," she chuckled, talking mostly to herself.

Eric nodded and reached to take her other hand, his fingers filling the spaces between hers. "Well, I'll miss you, but I think you should go."

His unselfish encouragement warmed Calleigh's heart and she gave his fingers a light squeeze. "That's what makes me want to stay, because I'll miss you, the team, work," she admitted. "At the same time…."

"You want to go?" Eric assumed, raising an eyebrow; Calleigh nodded. "Just don't fall for any of those Missouri guys while you're up there," he teased.

"Not a problem," Calleigh assured.

Eric's face lifted into his infamous crooked smile and rested his head against hers. "I'm really proud of you, Cal," he whispered.

Calleigh could only smile in reply. She had her answer, she was going to Missouri to oversee a project and get a new lab up and running, meanwhile having to be states away from the man she loved.


	3. Cost

Chapter Two

Cost

"How long are you going to be gone?" Ryan asked when he, Calleigh, and Natalia met up at MDPD's outdoor firing range to get in some target practice. She had finally broken the news of her decision to Horatio the previous day and she had just informed her colleagues.

"About a month, give or take. It depends on how long it takes to get everything situated," Calleigh replied, sliding on some goggles.

"And what are you going to be doing exactly?"

"Probably just giving my opinion on how to operate a Firearm lab and consulting with other experts about their ideas."

Calleigh placed the headset over her ears and kept her aim steady before letting off the rounds in her gun. She still felt an incredible sense of power at the range, or just behind a gun in general. She knew the chain reactions that occurred inside the gun as she pulled the trigger and she knew exactly where she intended for that bullet to hit and where it usually _did _hit. Guns and shooting gave Calleigh a sense of security that she openly accepted and that she was grateful to have.

"When are you heading out?" Natalia asked when Calleigh finished, meanwhile loading her own bullets into her magazine.

"Friday morning," she said.

"Have you told Eric?" Natalia pulled back on the slide of her gun as she asked the question.

"Yeah," Calleigh sighed before Natalia fired her gun.

Ryan patiently waited for Natalia to empty her clip before speaking. "Did he get that sad gleam in his eye and that really depressed, somber look?"

Calleigh shrugged a shoulder, not looking at either of her friends; they didn't need much more of an answer than that.

"Well, we'll all miss you when you go," Natalia said with a sad grin.

"Yeah, it won't be the same without you," Ryan agreed.

"Guys, I'm going up to Missouri, not the cemetery," Calleigh reminded them.

"Yeah, but there is a high crime rate in St. Louis, it could be the same thing," he pointed out.

The women gaped at him.

"Ryan, that's awful," Natalia shook her head.

"It's the truth. Last year St. Louis was considered the third most dangerous city in the U.S."

"Now if only my profession prepped me for that," Calleigh smirked. "Besides, I'm going to be in the lab the majority of the time."

"Where are you going to stay?" Natalia asked. "A hotel?"

Calleigh shook her head. "No, I called and made arrangements for a short-term apartment. The rent's cheap and that's enough for me for one month."

"Just as long as you wear Kevlar at all times," Ryan shrugged.

Natalia rolled her eyes and Calleigh just chuckled. "Shut up and shoot, Wolfe."

* * *

><p>After the series of tornados swept through Miami, the dog Eric found was never retrieved by anyone and Calleigh and Eric, not fond of the idea of him going to a shelter, made a place for him in their home. Calleigh had named the dog Wesson (of Smith and Wesson) and though Eric had playfully rolled his eyes at the origin, the name automatically stuck.<p>

Wesson fit in perfectly with their lifestyle and it was nice to come home to the sound of paws running to meet you. Calleigh hadn't had a dog since she was home in Louisiana and she missed the company a four-legged companion could willingly, not to mention successfully, give. Calleigh sat on the couch now, Wesson's head on her lap as she scratched his ears.

"Are you going to miss me, Wess?" she asked him. Wesson just continued to stare up at her with his orb-like eyes; Calleigh laughed softly and averted her eyes back to the news. Only then did Wesson jump onto her lap, his front paws pressing against her chest and he began to affectionately lick her cheek.

"I'll take that as a yes," she chuckled as the sound of a car pulled up into the driveway announcing Eric's return from the movie rental store.

Wesson sprung from Calleigh's lap and pranced toward the front door, his tail wagging as he waited for Eric to come in.

"Hey, buddy," Eric said to Wesson, pausing in the foyer to pet the dog before heading into the living room, Wesson following in his tracks.

"What did you get?" Calleigh asked.

"Let's see," he muttered thoughtfully as he dug the DVDs out of the bag. "_Mystic River _and _Kiss of Death_."

"I've never seen that one," she said, reading the synopsis on the back of the box. "It sounds interesting. Have you seen it?"

"Not yet. So, what do you want to watch first?" he asked, holding up each. "The ensemble of Sean Penn, Kevin Bacon and Tim Robbins or the one with Nicholas Cage, David Caruso and Sam L. Jackson?"

"Um….It doesn't matter," she shrugged, getting up from the couch. "How about you pick and I'll make some popcorn?"

"Sounds like a plan," he grinned as he opened up one of the DVD boxes and Calleigh walked into the kitchen.

She removed the plastic wrap from the popcorn and placed it in the microwave. The plate slowly rotated and the bag began to inflate when Wesson came in and stared up at Calleigh, with a hungry look in his eyes. She grinned down at their pet, knowing what he wanted, and gave him one of his dog treats. A satisfied Wesson took his snack into the laundry room where his basket was, he never used it to sleep (normally taking residence on their bed or the couch) but that would be the only place he would eat or drink.

Calleigh turned to face Eric when he came into the kitchen. "Popcorn is almost done."

"Cool," he said, stepping in front of her and snaking his arms around her middle. He leaned in and pressed his lips to hers, tenderly caressing her lips briefly before leaning out. "I feel guilty."

"About what?" she asked curiously.

"Because I think I may have forgotten to say I love you this morning."

Calleigh could easily see through his façade. Eric _never _forgot to tell Calleigh how much he loved her and he was clearly using this as a portal to lead into a different conversation; still she humored him.

"You didn't forget," she promised him.

"I didn't. Are you sure?"

Calleigh nodded. "I'm positive."

"Okay," he grinned. "But, just to be sure, I love you."

Calleigh chuckled as she rose up a slender finger and began to smooth her fingertip along his lower lip. "I love you too."

He quickly touched his lips to hers again, wanting to deepen the kiss, but the cruel sound of the microwave alarm halted his wish.

* * *

><p>Despite the intensity and violence within each movie, Eric's attention couldn't be swayed from Calleigh. The reality of their separation was beginning to hit him and he wanted to hold her tightly against his chest and never release her. When their relationship ended when he temporarily left CSI, the weeks he spent away from her were some of the loneliest and most painful moments of his existence. Now, though their relationship had developed to a different level, being far away from her wasn't going to be an easy task. Eric would miss the sound of her voice, the taste of her lips and the touch of her soft, silky skin. This house simply wouldn't be the same without her and with it being just him, Wesson and the jungle of unpacked boxes; he could already feel himself becoming a bit mad.<p>

Calleigh felt Eric's lips touch the top of her head for the thirteenth time that night. She was lying against his chest to watch the movie, his arms wrapped around her; Calleigh turned to look at Eric, who was looking down at her and hid his sad expression successfully, but not before Calleigh saw it.

"What's wrong?" she asked worriedly.

"What? Nothing," Eric lied.

Calleigh gave him look and placed the half-eaten bowl of popcorn on the coffee table before twisting in Eric's arms. She positioned her knees on each side of his hips and wrapped her arms around his neck; Eric placed his hands on either side of her torso and had a sheepish grin on his face.

"I wish I could take you with me," she sighed.

"Well, maybe I'll come up for a weekend," Eric suggested, attempting to brighten the mood he had unintentionally dimmed.

"That's a good idea," Calleigh said approvingly. "But until then, I'm going to wish you were there."

"At least it's just a month," he said, though this fact didn't really offer a source of comfort anymore; Calleigh noticed.

"I promise I'll call you every day, we'll Skype and we can email," she smiled comfortingly.

Eric smirked. "You are one of the few people who still email, you know that?"

"Not true, I'm just not addicted to every advancement of technology. I like to keep things simple," she shrugged, her lips curling upward.

"Simple and ancient," he teased and Calleigh playfully punched his arm as she tried to refrain from laughing.

"Listen," he sighed when his own laughs faded. "I think it's great you're going, I'm just really going to miss you." He reached up to tuck a lock of golden hair behind her ear, staring at her with sad eyes. "And I just wish I had some more time to spend with you before had to go."

Calleigh nodded with empathy. "But we don't have a lot of time," she whispered, getting to her feet and taking his larger hand in her own, guiding him off the couch. "So we'd better make the most of it," she suggested seductively as she smoothed her palm over his well sculpted chest.

Eric raised an eyebrow at the diversionary tactic. "What did you have in mind?"

"You'll see," she purred, giving him a wink and pulling him towards their bedroom. Eric was right, they only had so much time to be together, to be able to be intimate or to just talk face-to-face, and she wasn't about to waste it.


	4. Orbit

Chapter Three

Orbit

Calleigh was thoroughly enjoying her final night in Miami at a pizzeria that had recently opened just minutes from MDPD. The members of the team had made plans to meet up there once Calleigh had finished briefing her replacement in Firearms.

"How'd that go?" Walter asked as he, Natalia, Ryan, Eric and Calleigh sat at one of the circular tables.

Calleigh groaned. "I don't even want to think about it."

They couldn't resist laughing at the discontented look on Calleigh's face before ordering their pizza and drinks.

"Relax, I'm sure he'll do fine," Natalia assured.

"I hope," she sighed. "Just let me know if anything explodes."

"Come on, have some faith in him," Walter said, munching on a breadstick.

"The last time there was a replacement in my lab it was a disaster and I just don't want that to happen again," she shrugged. "Especially when I'm not here to do damage control."

"Well, if Firearms burns down, you'll be the first one we'll call….We'll also keep an eye on his guy here for you," Ryan promised, clapping Eric on the shoulder blade. "We'll make sure he doesn't get too depressed when you're gone."

"Thanks, Wolfe," Eric said with a roll of his eyes. Calleigh took hold of his hand under the table and gave it a tender squeeze.

Their orders arrived and as they took in their first bites of pizza, the questions of Calleigh's departure arose once again.

"Are you all packed?" Natalia asked.

"No," Calleigh admitted laughingly. "I have to do that when I get home."

"Nothing like waiting to the last minute."

"I know," she sighed.

"But hey, you're not gone yet, we should have a good time," Walter suggested.

"I agree," Calleigh said.

"And nothing says a good time like pizza, companionship and a song on the jukebox. Be right back," Walter grinned, getting to his feet and heading towards the back.

They all chuckled a little at Walter's enthusiasm, he returned in time for his selected song to start filling the restaurant. The steady guitar rhythm was a classic and it was almost a guarantee that everyone in the pizzeria knew every word by heart.

"Joan Jett and the Blackhearts. Nice," Natalia approved, her head bobbing along to the beat.

"Nothing like the classics," Ryan agreed through a mouthful of pizza.

"Wolfe, man, chew _then _swallow _then _talk," Walter bantered, reaching over to shake Ryan's shoulder.

"Who made you an expert in table manners?" Ryan demanded.

Calleigh laughed with the rest of them, but a small part of her began to ache. She was going to miss these routine dinners with her friends, joking around and enjoying each other's company. These moments were always the antidote to a stressed day and within a few minutes, many worries would automatically be up lifted; it was definitely going to be an adjustment not having this as a stress reliever.

The night continued on and by the time their individual desserts had arrived yet another outburst of laughter started to dwindle, Natalia having just told a story about a less than dignifying experience she had a college.

"I'm never going to let you live that down," Ryan wheezed, still trying to recover from the laughter. Eventually he caught his breath and turned to Eric. "Delko, are you okay, man? You haven't said much."

Eric looked up from the apple pie he and Calleigh were sharing, though he had hardly touched it, suddenly every eye on the table now rested on him. Eric knew exactly why he hadn't spoken a lot he had been fairly distracted, but he wasn't in the mood to express those feelings to his colleagues.

"I'm fine," he replied, attempting to appear surprised by the remark; he felt Calleigh rest a comforting hand on his knee, clearly sensing what was wrong with him.

"Well, we should be going," Calleigh sighed, getting to her feet. "Got a lot of packing to do."

"Okay. Take care of yourself up there," Natalia smiled, giving Calleigh a hug.

"I will," she promised before wrapping her arms around Ryan and then Walter. "Bye. Keep Miami safe while I'm gone."

"Not a problem," Walter promised.

* * *

><p>Calleigh folded one of Eric's dress shirts and placed it onto the other clothes she had already packed.<p>

"Is my shirt going on vacation?" Eric asked from the side of the bed beside her suitcase.

"More like me taking a little piece of home with me," she grinned, stepping in front of him.

Eric chuckled and wrapped his muscular arms around her waist. "Got everything?"

"I think so," she nodded, snaking her arms around his neck and pressing her lips to his; Eric softly groaned, she hadn't even left and he was already yearning for her to return.

"I'm going to miss you," he sighed.

"I figured that out by now," Calleigh said, attempting to form some levity. She pulled herself onto the bed, her knees on each side of his waist and Eric slowly leaned onto his back. "But you will come up to see me, right?"

"Yeah," he promised.

"And at least you'll have Wesson to keep you company," she smiled, attempting to cheer him up.

His lips perked up a little, however the smile it didn't completely reach his eyes. She got up for a moment to zip the suitcase and place it on the ground before straddling him again.

"I'm going to have to change this depressed attitude of yours?" she said seductively. She began to slowly undo the buttons of her shirt, Eric's hands resting on her thighs. More of her beautiful body became revealed to him, each movement pushing him closer to sexual insanity; it still amazed him how easily she could do that to him. At last she reached the final button Calleigh shrugged off the blouse, the only material now remaining on her torso was her bra.

"Any better?" she whispered, leaning down to kiss his lips. She first kissed the corner of his mouth, the tip of her tongue emerging there before sliding it to outline the bottom of his mouth before punctuating a kiss against his lips.

"Getting there," he said, his voice muffled against her mouth.

Calleigh hummed in amusement as Eric's hands slid up her bare skin, his warm palms made goosebumps appear on her skin. He undid the hook of her bra as he continued to kiss her; Calleigh slid out of the straps and tossed it aside. Eric's hand tenderly cupped her breast, his thumb smoothing over her toughened nipple.

"How about now?" she asked, her voice wavering and breathless as she unzipped his jeans.

"Mm?" Eric released a mumble of confusion, his mind having been engulfed in ecstasy.

"Are you getting happy yet?" Calleigh slid the button on his jeans through the slit.

Calleigh squealed in surprise as Eric's arms wrapped securely around her torso and rolled with her so that she was on her back while he hovered over her.

"Very," he whispered as he tenderly kissed her breast, his lips traveling up her chest and to the base of throat. Her skin was hot beneath his lips and he realized this could be the last time he would make love to her in weeks; he was going to make the most of it.

His teeth grazed over her skin, not enough to cause pain but enough to make her softly moan as they continued to remove articles of clothing until their bodies were bare. She moaned as he entered her, fulfilling her need for him, and her nails dig into his arms as his lips touch the thundering pulse of her neck. Calleigh loved how gentle yet how undeniably strong Eric was with her. Another shuddering breath escaped her as she urged him to come deeper into her, greedily craving _more_; he was happy to oblige.

* * *

><p>Calleigh awoke with her head resting on Eric's bare, bronze chest. His arms were wrapped around her body and his cheek softly rested against the top of her head; he was still asleep.<p>

Calleigh looked across to the alarm clock on his bedside table; the buzzer would be sounding in ten minutes then she would have to be heading to the airport. Calleigh sighed and rotated her head to look up at Eric, softly touching his chin with her lips.

Eric let out a tired groan and slowly blinked his eyes open, his brown irises instantly settled on her.

"Hey," he grinned, his fingers combing through her golden locks.

"Hi," she replied, her nose lightly brushing against his skin. "I'm going to take a shower."

"Need some help?" Eric offered.

Calleigh shook her head with a laugh. "In this case, you helping me would be very counterproductive."

"True," he chortled as she pulled on her robe.

Calleigh gave him a light peck on the lips before heading towards the bathroom, pulling her silk robe tighter around her.

* * *

><p>Calleigh got showered, blow-dried her hair and dressed in some comfy clothes for the flight. When she stepped into the kitchen, the smell of food cooking swept over her. Eric was now dressed and was serving up omelets onto two plates.<p>

"You made breakfast," Calleigh observed, approaching Eric.

"Yeah, I thought it'd be a good send-off," he said, his face pulling up into his crooked smile.

"That's sweet," she said appreciatively, wrapping her arms around him and giving him a kiss.

Wesson trotted into the kitchen and sat at their feet, his tongue hanging out and imploring attention.

"Are you hungry, boy?" Calleigh asked him, reaching down to scratch his ears before pouring some food into his bowl before joining Eric at the island to enjoy the wonderfully cooked meal, the delightful taste of eggs, cheese and vegetables filling her mouth.

"This is really good, babe," she complimented.

"Thanks."

They ate in near silence, comfortable enough with one another to simply enjoy the each other's presence without having to fill the quiet with idle conversation. Any noises that existed came from the world outside their house or the sound of Wesson eating his dog food. They relished these moments when any chaos seemed to fade and they could relax, living their lives normally; they tried not to acknowledge the fact their time together was dwindling.

The peace of the kitchen, however, didn't last long and was interrupted by a shrill ring of the telephone.

"Hello?" Eric said into the receiver, putting his fork down beside his plate.

"Can I ask you a favor?" Katrina, Eric's older sister, asked in a near frantic tone.

"Sure."

"Can you babysit for me on Monday? I have a PTA meeting and Andy had to work late," she explained.

"Yeah, what time?"

"Say seven-thirty?" she suggested.

"Okay, I'll be there," Eric promised. He was relieved he would be doing something that Monday to distract him from the absence of Calleigh; babysitting his niece and two nephews would be the perfect way to occupy his time.

"Thanks so much, Eric," Katrina said gratefully. "So, has Cal left yet?"

"No, but we're heading out to the airport in a few," he said, glancing at his watch.

"Can you put her on real quick? I want to say bye."

Eric smiled and offered the phone to Calleigh. "It's Katrina."

Calleigh grinned and took the phone. "Hey, Kat."

Eric collected his and Calleigh's empty plates and rinsed them in the sink.

"I wish I had the chance to see you guys before I had to go," Calleigh said sadly.

"Yeah, me too," Katrina sighed. "But at least it's not for too long."

"Exactly," Calleigh smiled.

"How's Eric taking you leaving?" she asked.

"I think he'll be okay," Calleigh said. "And he's going to try to come up for a weekend, so that'll be nice."

"Aw, how sweet," Katrina said, embracing the moment to tease her baby brother. "He's going to come to your side after oh-so long apart."

"Ha, ha, very funny," she rolled her eyes.

"You know you're going to miss me," she said confidently.

"Okay, maybe a little," Calleigh admitted. "But I'm going to call you in a few days."

"Sound good to me."

"Awesome, I'll talk to you then," Calleigh said, getting to her feet and heading towards Eric. "I'm going to put Eric back on, okay? Okay, bye, I'll talk to you later."

She handed the phone to Eric and whispered. "We have to get going soon."

Eric checked this watch and realized how quickly their morning had escaped them and now they were almost down to the wire.

He looked at Calleigh and sadly nodded. "I know."

* * *

><p>They had reached the point at the airport security where they had to go their separate ways. Calleigh's heart began to feel heavy as she reached up to hug his neck, burying her face in his shoulder. Her eyes pricked slightly, trying to form the tears she <em>refused <em>to make visible.

"Take care of yourself," Eric whispered into her hair.

"Of course," she smiled, trying unsuccessfully to lighten the mood. Calleigh looked up at Eric , her eyes meeting his eyes before she stretched up to crush her lips to his. she was determined to make this kiss linger for as long as possible, wanting to hold on to every detail she'd be missing out on. She memorized the texture of his lips, their shape, their warmth and how perfectly they molded with her own.

"I'll call you when I land," Calleigh promised when she leaned out of his kiss.

"Okay," he said before recapturing her lips and holding her tighter. "I love you."

"I love you too," she breathed, a place in her heart starting to hurt. She had learned from previous experience that being away from Eric was difficult, not to mention painful. When they were apart, for any reason, she would crave his arms to hold her and his lips to repeatedly embrace hers. The longing would be unbearable and only seeing or hearing him would bring any comfort, whereas drowning herself in work would only distract her for a brief period of time. But no matter how much work she was going to put in this lab, the entire time she was going to miss Eric.

Delaying this goodbye anymore was going to make it difficult, they both seemed to realize this as they released each other.

Calleigh picked up her carry-on bag off the ground and gave Eric a sad smile.

"I'd better go," she sighed.

Eric reluctantly nodded and kissed her one final time before she got in the line to show her passport. Calleigh didn't dare turn back to look at him until after the guard handed back her identification and allowed her to continue on. Then she permitted herself to turn back to Eric and give him a final wave. His smile didn't completely reach his eyes as he raised up his hand to wave goodbye, an uncomfortable lump rising in his throat.

Eric stood there and watched as Calleigh went through Security and she slowly began to fade out of his vision until she disappeared completely.

With a heavy sigh, Eric turned and went down the escalator to make his way toward the exit, wanting to get to work to attempt and occupy his mind, but Calleigh's plane hadn't even left Miami and he was ready for her to come back home.


	5. Distant

Chapter Four

Distant  
><span>

Calleigh had rented a car and drove to the apartment complex she would be calling home for the next month. She drove through the city, her attention only being grabbed when she approached the St. Louis Arch, but if she looked past that, this was another city; another city with its tall buildings, frustrating traffic and its own crimes that needed to be solved.

Perhaps later she would look around and appreciate what St. Louis had to offer, but for now she wasn't in the mood to be sentimental; she just focused on the direction the GPS was telling her to turn.

When she finally got through the traffic and arrived at the apartment, she signed the necessary paperwork and was given her key. Calleigh took her luggage upstairs and entered the door to her "home away from home." Calleigh placed her two bags just inside the door and took in the apartment. The furnishings of the living room, the first room she entered, included a black fabric sofa, a coffee table, a lamp in the corner and a quaint window seat that she felt was a nice touch. The floors were a cherry wood and the walls a light tan that resembled the color of the sand in Miami. The kitchen was straight ahead, but there was a door on the way to it that lead into the bathroom. The kitchen had a fridge, a few cabinets, a stove, a sink and a little island where one could sit. On the counter sat a coffee maker that the previous owner must have abandoned; Calleigh only hoped that it worked and she wouldn't have to find other ways of getting her caffeine fix.

To the left of the kitchen was a door that led to the bedroom; this floor was carpeted, its color matching the walls. Across from the bed was a dresser with a mirror hanging above it; Calleigh caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror. Her reflection hadn't altered much since she last saw it in Miami, except for the fact for her eyes seemed sadder than she remembered.

Calleigh turned from the mirror, sat on the bed and pulled out her cell phone, pressing the key that was Eric's speed-dial. She leaned back on the mattress and kicked off her shoes as his phone rang, then again, again and yet again until she heard his voice.

"Hey, what's up, you've reached Eric. Leave a message." Then the woman with a robotic voice gave instructions on how to leave a message before the beep.

"You know," Calleigh sighed in disappointment. "The point of me calling when I landed was so I could talk to you," she said laughingly. "Well, I'm here and I need to be heading to PD for our first meeting in about an hour, so I'll talk to you tonight, okay? I love you and I'll talk to you later."

Calleigh hung up the phone and released a heavy exhale.

* * *

><p>"CSI Calleigh Duquesne?" asked a slightly balding man who now approached her when she entered St. Louis PD.<p>

"Yes, are you Captain Sinise?" she spoke, hoping this was the man she was supposed to meet.

"I am," he said, reaching out to shake her head. "Do you have your visitors pass? Excellent, just this way."

He led her to the elevator and pressed the button on the wall. "We're glad you're here," Captain Sinise informed her as they stepped on the elevator. "Professor Goldward spoke highly of you when I met with him."

"Well, I hope I can help," Calleigh grinned.

"We hope so too. Hopefully with a more efficient lab we'll be able to solve more cases, understand more." He muttered that last part to himself more than Calleigh; she thought it better not to bring it up.

The elevator dinged and the doors slid open to reveal the Crime Lab of St. Louise Police Department. Every room was surrounded by glass, much like the ones at home, but the surrounding wall was pure white and the result was an astoundingly bright Lab.

"Okay, here's our Trace and Tox," Captain Sinise said, gesturing to two separate labs on one side of the hall, then he pointed to the labs parallel to them and indicated them as Fingerprints and Layout. "Turn left and you'll find yourself in AV," he said as the end of the hall. "For Firearms, we turn right."

Calleigh followed him towards the door that led into the lab, but just before they entered….

"Captain," a man in a lab coat called, rushing up to them. "Tox got results from our DB."

"What was it?" Captain Sinise asked.

"Liquid iodine," he replied, handing over the printout. "The iodine bonded with the metal ions in his system and sent our guy into cardiac arrest."

"How did it get in his system?"

"Well, the M.E couldn't find any evidence suggesting it was administered orally, so he's looking for injection sites," the man said.

"Alright," Captain Sinise nodded before turning to Calleigh. "CSI Thomas McArb, this is CSI Calleigh Duquesne, the expert from Miami."

"Nice to meet you," Calleigh smiled, shaking his head.

"Hey, you too," Thomas replied. "Do us a favor and get our lab into shape. We keep having to hand all our Ballistics evidence to the county over."

"I'll do what I can," she promised.

"Keep me posted on our vic," Captain Sinise said.

"You got it," Thomas assured. "I'll see you around, CSI Duquesne."

Thomas walked away and Captain Sinise pushed open the door to Firearms. In contrast to the rest of the Crime Lab, this room was very dark; the walls were painted a deep blue and there wasn't any glass to allow the light to flood in. The space was open, about the size of the lab back home; however there wasn't a computer or a firing range…it was just an empty lab.

Well, almost empty.

* * *

><p>"Delko, come on, you're killing me here," Walter sighed in frustration. They had to bring a wide pane of glass into the Fingerprint lab and, to make the task of fingerprinting less tedious, Walter had tried striking up a conversation with Eric; he was being met with one-syllabled answers.<p>

Eric ignored him and just continued to print the glass. According to his messages, he had missed Calleigh's call from when she landed and by now she would be in that meeting; his next opportunity to talk to her wouldn't be until that night.

"Have you guys found anything?" Natalia asked as she walked into the lab.

"Just a _lot _of smudges," Walter sighed.

"Well, our suspect had the gun on him when we picked him up. We just need to place him in the room."

"Did he say anything?"

"Don't know, Wolfe and Frank are with him now," she said.

"Not anymore," Ryan corrected, entering the lab.

"So, _did _he say anything?" Walter asked again.

Ryan sighed. "Let's just say he took his Miranda literally."

"Ah," Natalia nodded. "Not talking?"

"Not a peep," he shook his head. "Get anything here?"

"Smudges," Walter and Natalia replied in unison.

"Great," Ryan groaned before turning to Eric. "Calleigh get to St. Louis okay?"

"Yeah," Eric replied, not looking up from his work.

"For the record, this guy," Walter pointed at Eric, "is massively depressed."

"I'm not," he weakly defended himself.

Walter, Ryan and Natalia exchanged a look, all doubting that statement.

"That's the only sentence I've heard from him the entire day," Walter whispered to his colleagues.

"Oh, take it easy on him, Calleigh only left a few hours ago," Natalia reminded them. "Eric, you just need to get your mind off it. How about the four of us go out for a drink once we get off?"

"BV, don't you think it's a bit early to be talking about alcohol?" Walter asked in very mild disapproval.

"Not in this case," she replied. "How 'bout it, Eric?"

"I'll think about it," he said; they had the feeling that was as much if an answer as they were going to get for now and let the subject rest.

* * *

><p>Captain Sinise and Calleigh entered the near-deserted Firearm Lab to find two men standing at the workbench, both of them looking up when the door opened.<p>

"Three down, one to go," Captain Sinise said as they walked to the table. The closer they got, Calleigh could get a better look at the two men. One had a square jaw and piercing blue eyes, eyes that gave Calleigh an apprehensive glance which she didn't appreciate, but was able to ignore. The other man, however, looked over his square framed glasses at Calleigh and blinked repetitively in disbelief.

"Calleigh Duquesne?" he asked.

Calleigh felt her jaw drop a little, she recognized the man now addressing her. The years had added a few wrinkles around the corners of his eyes and his dark hair had lightened slightly, but Calleigh knew the face. When she had been at college, the man before her had been a sophomore when Calleigh was a freshman—not to mention Jake's roommate.

"Ross Wilson," she smiled at him.

"I should have known Professor G would have recommended you too," Ross smirked.

"I'll bring up the last one when he gets here," Captain Sinise said. "I've gotta get back."

"Thank you, Captain," Calleigh called after him; then it was the three of them alone in the lab.

"Calleigh, this is-." Ross began to introduce their colleague.

"Steve O'Malley," he cut across Ross, reaching over to shake Calleigh's hand.

"Calleigh Duquesne," she introduced herself; Steve nodded in response before releasing her hand and averting his eyes. Now that she was closer, Calleigh could see Steve was several years younger than she and Ross; he couldn't have possibly been in one of their graduating classes.

"So, how've you been?" Ross asked.

"Great," Calleigh replied truthfully.

"Still in Louisiana?"

"No," Calleigh said instantly; Ross laughed at the certainty of her reaction. "I needed a change of scenery. I'm now in Miami."

"Yeah, I wanted to get out of Louisiana too," he nodded.

"Where'd you go?

"Phoenix," he shrugged.

"Really?" she asked, a little surprised. "And how are things?"

"Fantastic," Ross said, proudly holding up his left hand to show his wedding band looped around his ring finger.

A smile stretched across Calleigh's face. "Congratulations. How long?"

"Six years," he said. "How about you, did you married?"

"No, not married…but I'm seeing someone," she replied, surprised by how she could easily level about her personal life with Ross—she supposed she was just happy to see a familiar face; out of the corner of her eye she noticed Steve moved to the water cooler to get a drink. "We should catch up later."

"Definitely," Ross agreed.

Calleigh now turned to face Steve. "So, did Professor Goldward recommend you too?"

"Yeah," he nodded, taking a drink of water.

"He's class of 2005," Ross interjected. "He's probably got a jump on us old folks."

Calleigh crossed her arms. "Who are you calling old?"

Ross laughed and even Steve smiled a little.

"So, do you work here?" Calleigh asked Steve.

"No, New Orleans," he said. "I was in the last class Goldward taught before he came up here."

"Okay," she nodded.

The door opened again and Captain Sinise entered with a tall man who had dark hair and eyes to match. He introduced himself as Daniel Miller, another one of Goldward's students Calleigh had never met, who now currently lived in Baltimore.

Captain Sinise began to tell them, apparently, what Goldward had told him. When the prospect of upgrading their lab came up, Goldward only had faith in a handful of people capable of such a task and Sinise was willing to find the proclaimed "best", even if it meant calling across the country—the determination in his eyes for these specific people was clear. Some of the former students hadn't been able to arrive due to previous engagements, but the ones here now were the ones who were, as Sinise put it, "up for the challenge."

And Calleigh loved a challenge.

* * *

><p>Eric's spirits were lifted a little higher that evening, when he sat in front of his laptop and, thanks to his webcam, was able to see Calleigh and her beautiful features.<p>

"What did you guys do today?" he asked, curious about this process.

"Pretty much just made a few plans, starting about how we're going to use the budget, all that fun stuff," she said with a small smirk at the end.

"You said four of you were working on this?"

"Yeah," Calleigh nodded. "And, as it turns out, I knew one of them in college."

"Really?"

"Yeah," she said laughingly. "I was surprised to see him. He was Jake's roommate and that's how I met him."

Eric had by this point gotten over hearing Jake's name, it was a waste of energy clenching his teeth and making a fist when he came up in conversation. Calleigh and Jake had history, but that's all it was—history and it only existed in the past; Eric had her for the present and future.

"I should call this guy. I've always wondered what you were like in college," he smirked playfully, fascinated by how different Calleigh may have been in college compared to now.

Calleigh rolled her eyes at her boyfriend's comment and Eric saw her arms disappear out of frame to grab her laptop.

"I'm going to take you on a tour of my humble abode," she said. "This is the beautiful kitchen."

Eric laughed at the joking tone in Calleigh's voice, it was good to see her so happy; he didn't know, however, that she was aching inside from not being closer to him.

The screen swerved and briefly blurred as Calleigh turned ninety degrees right. "There's the living room. I have to show you the view."

Calleigh sat on the window seat and pulled up the blinds before turning her laptop to look out the window. In the dark, the city lights glistened against the black canvas of the sky and the St. Louis Arch in the distance stood proudly, the cherry on top of a picture-perfect sight.

"That's an amazing view," Eric agreed.

"Yeah," Calleigh said, sitting down on the seat and turning the screen in her direction. "So, how are things back home?"

"Good, nothing's changed."

"I hope not, I've barely been gone twelve hours," Calleigh chuckled.

Eric smiled. "Yeah, but, the team wants you back."

"Already?"

"I think mostly because they think I'm depressed," he admitted.

"Were you moping on the job?" Calleigh playfully narrowed her eyes.

"Maybe a little," he said innocently. "And they're probably annoyed I didn't go out for drinks tonight."

"Why didn't you?"

"I didn't want to miss our Skype date," he smiled.

Calleigh rolled her eyes. "So our 'Skype date' is your alibi?"

"I can't help it that I miss you," he defended himself.

She grinned. "I miss you too, but one day down, right?"

"Yeah," Eric nodded; little did Calleigh know that living one day away from her felt as though it were a lifetime. Even now, when he was able to see and hearing her, it wasn't the same as having the luxury of holding her in his arms and feeling her soft lips against his.

"Well," Calleigh sighed tiredly. "I'm going to hit the sack."

"Okay, goodnight. I love you," Eric said with a small smile.

"I love you too. I'll talk to you tomorrow," she promised and, with a final smile goodbye, she signed out of the account.

With a final glance to the skyline, Calleigh bid a silent goodnight to Eric before disappearing to her bedroom. As she attempted to sleep, she craved Eric's arms to encompass her in his embrace, but she knew it wasn't possible and settled for his shirt; it was through the solace of the Eric-scented fabric that sleep finally found her.


	6. Unexamined

Chapter Five

Unexamined

By Monday, the main conflict that arose during the planning process for the experts was their differing viewpoints on how to set up this lab. Calleigh and Dan had shared on an idea of how the grant money could be used with Captain Sinise's approval, only to be completely conflicted by Ross and Steve. Needless to say, by lunchtime, a break was in order and a great time to take a breather.

Calleigh had to admit the PD of St. Louis had Miami beat in the lunch department. While MDPD officers often brought their own lunches or went through the drive-thru, St. Louis had their own cafeteria; it wasn't anything too extravagant, mostly just sandwiches and soups, but it was definitely a step up from Miami.

Now, with an egg-salad sandwich and a bottle of apple juice in hand, Calleigh took a seat at one of the tables by the window, rattling the ideas in her brain to reach a way to compromise with the others.

She unwrapped her sandwich and took a bite as her eyes followed the slow moving traffic below. While at the table in front her, she heard the chatter of two male CSIs, one of them Thomas McArb and the other someone Calleigh didn't recognize. She longed to have the specific details of their case, she eagerly wanted to be informed of every detail of the investigation; she hadn't solved a murder in, what felt like, years.

"So you're the Bullet Girl who has come to repair our lab," the man across from Thomas said.

Calleigh smiled. "I guess so, though I prefer to be called Calleigh."

He laughed and nodded. "Calleigh Duquesne, right? We've heard good things."

She felt her checks tint a little at the compliment.

"How do you like St. Louis?" Thomas asked curiously.

"It's nice," she replied truthfully. "A bit different from home, but in a good way."

"And how's the lab coming?" the man asked.

Her lips turned up into a half-smile. "That's for us to know and you to find out," she replied, though honestly she just didn't have much to report, but she wasn't about to let them know that.

"Okay. My name's Ricky, by the way," he introduced himself. "Ricky Lewis."

"Hi, nice to meet you."

"Want to join us?" Thomas offered, pulling out the chair beside him.

Calleigh accepted the invite and sat down beside Thomas.

"So, you came up here from Miami?" Ricky asked.

"Yeah," Calleigh nodded.

"I've always wanted to go down there," he admitted.

"You want to go a lot of places," Thomas rolled his eyes; over the years he had listened to Ricky's stories of where he wanted to travel and the sights he wanted to see.

"And one day I will," Ricky vowed.

"Not unless your paycheck is higher than ours," a female voice approached. They turned to see a woman Calleigh didn't recognize, she had brown hair that was cut just above the shoulder to frame her face and she took a seat by Ricky.

"Calleigh, this is Serena Flat, our Trace expert," Ricky said as the two women shook hands. "Serena, this is Calleigh Duquesne."

"Right, the Firearms guru," she nodded.

Calleigh laughed a little at the nickname. "That's me."

"Well, it's about time that lab was getting some TLC," Serena shook her head in a mixture of relief and annoyance.

"Was it that bad?" she asked.

"Not bad," Thomas said. "Just…inefficient."

"How so?" Calleigh was curious to hear how the less-than-perfect lab had affected the CSIs work.

The three exchanged a look, as though silently debating whether or not to tell Calleigh about the story; a secret they decided against telling her.

"It was just outdated," Serena answered and Calleigh couldn't tell whether or not it was a lie.

Calleigh nodded, but it was apparent to her the team had an emotion similar to resentment built up towards the "outdated" Firearm lab. The question was what.

* * *

><p>"Tio Eric!" squealed little Sophie when Eric stepped into Katrina's house that night, fulfilling his promise to babysit.<p>

"Hey, Soph," he smiled, picking her up and spinning her in the air, making her giggle. "Where's your mom?" Eric asked, setting her on his hip.

"In the kitchen," she said.

Eric made his way to the kitchen, pausing to say a quick hello to his nephews, Aaron and Chris, but their attention was held by the Wii game they were playing.

"They're in _love _with the Wii," Sophie informed him.

"Really?" he smiled. "They're in love?"

Sophie made a face and nodded. "And I think Aaron is in love with his girlfriend," she said as they entered the kitchen where Katrina was pulling some chicken nuggets and fries out of the oven.

"Oh really?" Eric raised his eyebrows at his sister.

Katrina rolled her eyes. "In the second grade you get a girlfriend when you share your lunch. You're in love when they share Twizzlers on a field trip," she explained.

"Gotcha," Eric nodded.

"Tio Eric, have _you _ever been in love?"

"Yes," he replied, smiling at his niece.

"Do you love Tia Calleigh?" she asked sweetly.

Eric laughed, adoring the way all his nieces and nephews referred to Calleigh as their aunt even though she legally wasn't.

"Very much," he grinned.

"Where is Tia Calleigh?" Sophie wondered, looking around the room as though the blonde would suddenly appear.

"Sweetie, she had to go to St. Louis, remember?" Katrina reminded her.

"Oh yeah," she sighed sadly.

"Why don't you get your brothers and tell them dinner is ready?" she suggested and Sophie nodded; Eric put her down and she sprinted back towards the living room.

"Okay, there's ice cream in the freezer, but unless they eat all of this they aren't allowed any," Katrina warned Eric as she slid some chicken and fries onto animal designed plates.

"Got it."

"So, how's Cal doing in Missouri?" she asked.

"Good, you know, working on everything," he said,

"And you miss her, don't you?"

"Yes," Eric admitted for what he felt like was the millionth time.

"She'll be back before you know it," she assured him before glancing at her watch. "Oh, I'm going to be late. I'll see you later."

"See you later," he replied as she hurried to say bye to her children before rushing out the door.

* * *

><p>The three kids ate their dinner without any fuss, a rare occurrence, and enjoyed their ice cream before heading back to the living room.<p>

Aaron and Chris began to set up a game of Clue, while Sophie sat on the couch and held a plush horse against her chest, looking a little crestfallen.

"What's wrong, sweetheart?" Eric asked, sitting on the couch by his niece.

"I wish Tia Calleigh was here," she sighed, her fingers running over her horse's mane.

Eric smiled, sadly, down at Sophie; she had taken an instant attachment to Calleigh and had formed a bond with her.

"What, you don't love me anymore?" Eric teased with a pout, trying to cheer her up.

"I do, but you're now girl fun," Sophie explained.

"I'm not girl fun?" he asked.

"You don't know how to French braid or how to paint nails or how to talk about girl things," she said sadly.

"Oh, okay," Eric nodded in understanding. "Well, I can't braid, but I'm good at Clue. How about you be on my team and see if we can beat the boys?"

Sophie considered this then nodded. "Okay."

"Alright," he grinned.

They joined the boys on the floor to start the game.

"What is Tia Calleigh doing in Mississippi?" Chris asked.

"Missouri," Eric corrected. "She's trying to help the police up there set up a new lab."

"Why did they ask her to help?" Aaron perked up.

"Because she's smart," Sophie replied.

"That's right," Eric grinned. "She's _very _smart and they thought she'd be great for the job."

"Well, I hope she gets the job done soon," she pouted.

"Me too, kiddo," he sighed. "Me too."

* * *

><p>"Finally we get to have our coffee date," Ross smiled as they took their drinks to table at a local café.<p>

Calleigh chuckled. "Do we have to call it a date? It sounds like I'm cheating on Eric or something."

"Yeah, it does sound weird...and dirty," Ross agreed. "Okay, then. We finally get to have our coffee _session_."

She laughed. "Sounds good to me."

"But since we're catching up, I want to hear about this Eric character. I want to know who could possibly have dethroned Jake Berkeley," he said curiously.

Calleigh shook her head. "Dethroned?"

"Yeah, you and Jake were inseparable. I just want to know who made you feel the same way about someone who isn't Jake."

"What do you want to know?" she asked.

"Well, how did you meet him?"

"At work; he's a CSI too," she replied, taking a sip of coffee.

"Figures you couldn't date a guy not in law enforcement," Ross sighed.

"Of course not," Calleigh smirked. "What does your wife do?"

"She's got the toughest job. Being a stay at home mom," he grinned.

Calleigh smiled widely, slightly surprised. "You have kids?"

"Yeah," he nodded proudly and he pulled up a picture of them on his phone. One was a girl, probably about Sophie's age, and a baby boy sitting on her lap. They both had Ross's eyes, but while the girl inherited his dark hair, the boy had a head of blonde hair with tight curls.

"They're cute," Calleigh smiled. "What are their names?"

"Brent and Anna," he replied.

"It must be tough being away from them for so long," Calleigh said sympathetically.

Ross nodded. "Yeah, I miss them. But I promised them we'd go on vacation when I got back, you know, for family time."

"That's sweet," she grinned.

"Maybe that's what you and Eric need to do when this is over," he suggested.

Calleigh chuckled. "Maybe."

"So, have you seen Jake since college? Last I saw him, he was talking about joining ATF and after I graduated I didn't hear from him again."

"Well," she sighed. "He was one for vanishing acts."

Jake was a master when it came to secrets, his job required it, but it was on unsteady platform to build a relationship on. The deterioration of their love didn't come from the lack of emotion, however his inability to remain on one place for too long. Calleigh had lived her childhood with people coming and going, she wasn't about to subject herself to it again for the rest of her life; she had no regrets.

"I did see him a few years back," Calleigh admitted.

"And?" Ross coaxed, sensing more to the story.

"It lasted a few months then we moved on," she summarized.

"So he's with ATF undercover somewhere?" Ross assumed.

Calleigh shrugged. "More than likely."

He shook his head. "Man, I could never join ATF."

"I know, especially with a family to take care of," she sighed.

"But that was Jake, wasn't it? He always wanted to live on the dangerous side," he shrugged.

"Yeah," Calleigh nodded.

"So, is this Eric guy like that or does he live a calmer life style?"

Calleigh laughed. "Let's just say comparing Jake and Eric is an apples to oranges scenario. But enough about me, I want to hear about your wife."

"You know her," Ross said before taking a gulp of coffee.

"From college?"

"Yeah, she got a job on campus as a receptionist part time. Ring any bells?"

A light bulb automatically flicked on in Calleigh's head. "You married Stephanie McEntire?" she exclaimed.

"Sure did," he nodded proudly.

"But I remember she was engaged to, oh, what's his name?" she thought to herself.

"Joey?"

"Yes, Joey, that's it. Yeah, but I thought they were engaged when you guys graduated."

"They were, but, uh, I-I kinda got to know her a bit after that and…." He trailed off.

"Ross, you're a home wrecker," she teased with a smirk.

"Not my proudest moment, I'll admit, but I wouldn't change it," he said.

Calleigh chuckled at the sweet sentiment. "And now you live happily in Phoenix, Arizona," she smiled.

"Basically," Ross nodded.

"How'd Stephanie feel about you coming out here for a month?" Calleigh asked.

"Well, it took a bit of convincing, but eventually she became alright with it," he said, adjusting his glasses.

"Bribing her with a vacation probably didn't hurt either," Calleigh joked.

"No, it didn't," Ross shook his head. "So, have you talked to any of the CSIs here yet?"

"Yeah, a bit," she nodded.

"And?"

"They seem fine," she shrugged. "But I have a feeling there is a personal reason behind why they want this lab redone."

"Like what?"

"I don't know, I just got that notion," Calleigh said. "Have you talked to any of them?"

"I met Serena Flat and Captain Sinise, but that's it," Ross said. "I didn't really ask them about the lab though. But now I'm curious."

Calleigh quietly laughed and gazed out the window at the street, taking a second to watch the people passing by. All of them were strangers in a city she barely knew, yet she was here providing a service that could one day benefit them.

* * *

><p>That evening after work, Calleigh stopped by the local super market to buy some food to take back to the apartment. She planned to buy just enough to last her a few weeks, but it would be a pleasant alternative to the drive-thru food she's been consuming since she arrived.<p>

"Someone let you out of the Firearm Lab," a voice commented from behind her. She turned to see Ricky Lewis approaching her, a plastic basket of groceries in his hand.

"Yeah," Calleigh nodded. "You can only live on McDonalds and Taco Bell for so long."

"I see," he smiled. "I guess Ramen Noodles are a better alternative."

"It adds variety, that's for sure. Besides, coming home to a stocked fridge makes me feel more at home, you know?"

"My fridge is never stocked and I always feel at home," Ricky contradicted.

"Well, home is different for everyone, I guess," she shrugged, pushing the cart down the aisle. "What about you, why are you here so late?"

Ricky scoffed. "The hours I work are a bitch; this is the only time I can buy anything."

"I know the feeling," she sighed, placing a box of Cheerios in the cart. "A CSIs work is never done."

"Right," he smirked. "And does this CSI approve of St. Louis."

"Honestly, I haven't seen that much of it," Calleigh admitted. "It's been home then the lab and that's it. I haven't really had to chance to experience the city."

He nodded. "I see."

"Have you lived here long?" she asked.

"Only my whole life. Truth be told, I've barely been out of Missouri," Ricky admitted.

"You must like it here, then," Calleigh assumed, thinking you must love the state you were in if you were living to stay for so long.

"Yeah, it's home. But I'd love to see passed the freakin' Arch, you know?" he sighed.

Calleigh nodded, seeing his point. "I get it."

"Yeah, I definitely need to get out more," he mumbled.

Calleigh chuckled and her phone from inside her purse began to ring.

"Well, I'll let you answer that, and I'll see you around," Ricky smiled, walking away from her as she dug out her cell.

"Sure thing," she promised, finally being able to look at her phone; Eric's name flashed on the caller ID. "Hey."

"Are you ever coming home?" he asked teasingly.

"No, I think I'm just going to stay up here," she joked. "Why are you getting that lonely?"

"I'm not lonely," he defended himself. "You know I have the team and—and I have Wesson."

Calleigh giggled. "Yeah, but he's more of a listener than a talker."

"True," Eric nodded.

"Hey, I forgot to ask, how did babysitting go the other night?" she asked as she approached the dairy section.

"It was fine, but kids get bored playing Clue really quickly," he said. "Oh, and according to Sophie, I'm not girl fun."

Calleigh chortled. "You're not girl fun?"

"Yeah," he sighed. "Because I don't know how to paint nails or French braid."

"I told you I should teach you, but you didn't listen to me," she smirked.

"Ha, ha. What are you doing?" Eric asked.

"Oh, I'm grocery shopping," Calleigh sighed. "I figured it's about time I got some real food instead of takeout. Speaking of food, are you surviving without me?" she asked as she grabbed a gallon of milk, though she knew her boyfriend was capable of making his own food without her.

"Barely," he sighed, playing along.

Calleigh chuckled at his comment and pushed the cart towards the cash register. "Listen, babe, I'm at the checkout, so I'll call you back in a few, okay?"

"Okay," Eric said. "I love you."

"I love you too," she grinned before ending the call and placing her items on the conveyer belt.

* * *

><p>Perhaps everyone gets a bit sentimental when they're alone and want to enjoy moments from the past. Eric was becoming especially sentimental as a side effect of that short conversation being the first time he spoke to Calleigh in the last forty-eight hours. With the formation of this new lab well underway, she wasn't getting home until late at night and talking to her wasn't always a possibility.<p>

He missed her closeness and her voice filling their home. Even Wesson missed her, waiting at the front door expecting her to come home, only to be disappointed.

As he waited for her to call back, Eric opened up a video file on his computer from the previous Fourth of July in which Calleigh and Eric held a barbeque for friends and family.

He pressed "play" and the first video was in the kitchen where Calleigh was putting the finishing touches on the food she had prepared for their guests. Eric had crept in from the living room to record her and she didn't realize he was standing in the doorway, so she was a little surprised to see him filming her.

"I'm going to kill Kat for giving you that camera," she sighed, pulling some tomatoes out of the refrigerator.

"Don't you want to make memories?" Eric questioned with a smirk.

"No," she rolled her eyes as she rinsed the red fruits. "I want to make food so people don't go hungry."

There was the sound of Eric laughing and then the camera shut off from that scene. The next time recording started, the scene had changed and they were now in their backyard with their family and friends. Katrina had been the one in control of the camera this time and after she panned around the festive yard, the frame focused on a group of people standing along the fence with a red, white and blue banner pinned against it. There Ryan, Calleigh, Natalia and Carmen stood, talking with one another. Katrina approached them and their conversation became audible; while the women laughed, Ryan looked simply mind-boggled.

"The mind of a woman is a scary place," he sighed, shaking his head.

"You know it," Katrina interjected kiddingly.

"You're as bad as Eric with that camera," Calleigh chuckled.

"Oh, you should have seen them with cameras when they were little," Carmen grinned, always prepared to tell a story about her children whenever there was an opportunity. "All of them used to steal our video camera and make the cutest little movies and-."

"Thanks, Mom," Katrina grimaced. "But can we go down Memory Lane some other time?"

Carmen gave her a light look of disapproval, but allowed the comment to slide.

"Crap, this stupid battery is about to die," she hissed angrily.

The scene cut off and the next clip started up again at night, everyone crowded together away from where Pavel and Andy, Katrina's husband, were preparing fireworks.

"Do you guys need a lighter or something?" Calleigh's voice called from the background at least two yards from who was holding the camera.

"We've got one!" Andy replied over the heads of the guests who were standing or sitting on deck chairs or sprawled out in the grass. "Okay, three, two, one."

The flame from the lighter touched the fuse of the firework and the men rushed to a safe distance. The firework squealed to the sky and once overhead combusted with a _bang! _Gold and red sparkles fell in a web shaped pattern, fading as they began to descend.

There had been a holler of enjoyment from the crowd and Pavel and Andy began to assemble the next firework.

The camera panned over the people in the backyard. Horatio, Natalia and Katrina sat in three chairs behind Sophie, Aaron and Chris. Frank and Ryan stood to the side, each with a can of beer in their grasp.

On the porch swing sat Eric and Calleigh. He had his arm wrapped around her shoulders and she had her fingers intertwined with his. As another firework exploded, Eric leaned over to whisper something in Calleigh's ear to which she smiled warmly and whispered something back to him before lightly kissing his lips.

That was the final clip from that Fourth of July celebration and Eric wanted that moment back, the time to hold Calleigh and to kiss her again; he was missing her so much he could hardly stand it.


	7. Intentions

Chapter Six

Intentions

As the rest of the week and the beginning of the next came along, Eric was starting to adapt to Calleigh's absence. He still missed terribly, however he wasn't "moping on the job" anymore and grown accustomed to the fact she wasn't a lab away. He came out of his slump at seemingly the perfect time, seeing as Natalia needed her friends for a certain task.

Her furniture was pushed to the center of the living room and draped in plastic while old sheets covered the floor.

"I really appreciate this, guys," she sighed as she came in, her hair pulled back in a braid and paint brushes in hand.

"What are friends for?" Eric grinned as he poured the pale green paint into the tray.

"Apparently, manual labor," Walter mumbled to Ryan, who snickered.

"Hey, I'm feeding you guys later; it's not like you're working for free," Natalia pointed out. "And the sooner we get this done, the sooner I'll order food."

"Then let's get working," Ryan suggested; Natalia rolled her eyes with a sigh as she shook her head.

"Okay, here's the game plan," Natalia started. "Eric, you take care of this wall. I'll take the front wall, Walter, take the back and Rye, you take the other. Sound good?"

"Yes, ma'am," they all chorused.

Natalia rolled her eyes again as she grabbed the paint roller and pushed it in the tray before applying it to the wall. The others followed suit and began to cover the beige walls with the verdant color.

"So, Delko, how's your lady friend doing in Missouri?" Walter asked with a tone that was almost teasing.

"She's fine," Eric replied. "Apparently they've got a crew in to start remodeling."

"Remodeling?" Natalia asked.

"Yeah, they have to make the lab bigger to accommodate the ranges," he explained.

"Wow," Natalia said, impressed. "She must be having a blast."

"Yeah," Eric nodded being able to clearly see Calleigh overseeing and possibly taking part of the destruction of the lab.

"I just had a vision of Calleigh using a sledge hammer for deconstruction," Walter informed them, and then he shuddered. "I'm scared for those guys."

The others laughed at that as they continued to paint the walls. Slowly the walls began to transform as the dull green paint began to devour the living room.

"Hey, Walter," Ryan said at one point. "You've got some paint on your face."

In fact, he did, a singular green droplet rested just below his eye, but Walter didn't believe him.

"Nice try, Wolfe," Walter said. "But this trick is way too old."

"Trick?" Ryan asked, innocently.

"Yeah, I'll try to wipe away the 'paint' that's supposedly on my face and then the real paint on my hands will smear on my face. Mm-mm," he shook his head. "Not falling for it."

"Okay," Ryan shrugged. "Just thought you'd like to know."

"But, hey, buddy," Walter said as he approached Ryan. "You have some on your face."

Ryan rolled his eyes suspiciously and then, before he could dodge, Walter ran his paint brush across Ryan's cheek. Ryan stood there in a silent fury as Walter, with a satisfied smirk, returned to his wall. Ryan grabbed the paint roller, approached Walter from behind and ran the roller up his back, covering the once clean T-shirt with green paint. Walter gritted his teeth and turned to face his opponent.

"Now, it's on," he warned, flinging more paint at Ryan.

Natalia groaned. "Seriously, guys, this is juvenile."

"Come on, Natalia," Eric smirked. "Live a little."

Natalia pursed the lips; taking that as a challenge, she turned on her heel to face Eric, who was having difficulty trying to contain his laughter.

"Live a little?" she repeated. "Okay." She bent down to pick up a tray in which only a miniscule amount of paint remained. She raised it over Eric's head and emptied the contents; it began to trickle a little down his face and the back of his neck.

Eric sighed. "You realize now I have to get you back?"

* * *

><p>Calleigh was cursing under her breath as she washed a gash she got on her hand, which she caught on a jagged piece of metal. The water ran red in the restroom sink and she could feel the pulse beating in her wound.<p>

She turned off the water and gathered some paper towel in her hand to press against the injured hand. She stepped out of the restroom and Steve stood out there, a first aid kit in hand.

"Dr. O'Malley at your service," he said in his usual monotone voice. "How's the hand?"

"It's fine," she shrugged.

"We'd better wrap it up," Steve said as they sat on the bench along the wall. He dug out a bandage wrap and gauze as Calleigh lifted the paper towel.

"Ouch," he commented as he applied the gauze and began to wrap the bandage around her hand. "You sure you're okay?"

"Yeah, of course," Calleigh nodded as he tightly wrapped the white material around her hand.

"Looks like hell."

"I've had worse. Thanks," she added when he finished. She got to her feet and they headed down back towards the lab. Her cell phone began to ring and filled the hall; she awkwardly dug it out of her pocket and glanced at the screen.

"I'll be right there," she said to Steve, who nodded and stepped in the lab as she pressed "accept." "Hey."

"Hi," he said; Calleigh was surprised that he sounded breathless.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

"Yeah, yeah," he promised.

"Are you sure? How's painting going?"

"Gr-Great," he stuttered as though he were trying to contain laughter. "Except we all look like-."

"You guys got into a paint battle, didn't you?" Calleigh assumed; she had known the incident Natalia informed her of enlisting help from her friends that some immaturity would emerge from the grown men.

Eric let out a bark of laughter. "Maybe."

"Put me on speaker," she sighed, knowing she should be getting back to work soon, but the temptation of entering this conversation was too much to resist.

"Okay," there was a pause then he said to the others, "guys, it's Calleigh."

"Hey, Calleigh," they chorused.

"Hey, guys," she smiled. "So, who started it?"

"Walter," Ryan, Eric and Natalia replied instantly.

"No, it was Wolfe," Walter insisted. "See, he tried to trick me into getting paint on my face-."

"But _you _put the brush on me first," Ryan pointed out.

Calleigh rolled her eyes and laughed. "Did your walls get any paint, Nat?"

"Um, well, the majority of the area did. But I think we painted each other better."

"We're walking pieces of art," Walter declared.

"Send me a picture of this; I need a visual aid," Calleigh smiled.

"Okay, but just so you know, Eric looks better when you can't see his face because of the paint," Ryan joked.

"And no amount of paint could make _you _look better, Wolfe," Eric playfully retorted. "Did you get it, Cal?"

Calleigh opened the message the picture had been sent in. The four sat there, all in old clothes and were severely drenched in a thick green liquid. Ryan had streaks of paint along his cheeks, Walter had a series of blotches over his forehead and Calleigh had a hard time deciding that his T-shirt was originally white. The braid in Natalia's hair had been completely covered and the splotches on her arms popped away from her tanned skin.

She saved Eric for last and she couldn't believe how completely absurd he looked. Streaks of green paint appeared to run down his caramel colored cheeks and stuck in his stubble. His shoulders, revealed by his tank top, looked as though someone had literally tried to paint him instead of the wall.

Calleigh put her phone back to her ear. "You guys look like you were attacked by the Wicked Witch of the West."

"Don't be jealous, Cal," Walter said. "Unlike us, green is not your color."

"Funny," she rolled her eyes.

"So, how are things going?" Ryan asked.

"Good, well except for the fact my hand was attacked by metal," she shrugged.

"Are you okay?" Eric immediately asked with concern.

"Yeah, it's just a scratch," she replied in a nonchalant manner. "This guy I work with patched me up, so no big deal."

"A guy?" Ryan asked in a teasing voice; Natalia elbowed him in the ribs.

"Shut up, Ryan," Calleigh smiled. "Well, I've gotta get back to work."

"I'll call you later," Eric promised.

"Okay," she grinned. "Bye."

"Bye," he replied before he ended the call.

"We just gave her blackmail material for the next decade," Ryan sighed.

"Yeah," Eric nodded, briefly glancing at his cell phone wall paper. It was of Calleigh when they took a jog along the beach. At one point they decided to slow down and, with her face flushed and hair scrunched in a sloppy ponytail, Eric took the picture. Eric smiled at the wall paper for a minute before sliding the phone away.

"Well, except for the hand she seems okay," Natalia said.

"Yeah," Eric nodded.

"But you still miss her like crazy," Walter teased. "And it kills you that someone is there, wrapping her hand and it's not you."

Eric had grown used to the playful badgering of his colleagues and he merely narrowed his eyes as he grabbed the paint brush. "Walter, I think you missed a spot."

"No more paint war, boys," Natalia warned in a firm voice. "I would actually like to get these walls done."

* * *

><p>"What are you guys doing out here?" asked Serena Flat a few days later when she and Thomas McArb entered the SLPD break room where Calleigh, Steve, Ross, and Dan stood.<p>

"We have our own personal Geek Squad in to assemble the computers," Dan sighed. "It'll take them at least two days."

"And they don't want you guys in there or something," she raised an eyebrow as she grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge.

"They apparently work better and faster with no one watching," Ross rolled his eyes.

"And we're trusting their guys to hook up our computers?" Thomas demanded incredulously.

"I know, but we don't have much of a choice," Calleigh said. "And at least now we can get a head start on ordering."

"That's what these are for?" Serena gestured to the pile of Firearms catalogs on the island.

"Yeah," Steve sighed, obviously less than thrilled it.

"Better you than me," she shrugged. "Have fun."

"Oh, yeah," Steve rolled his eyes.

"Good luck," Thomas said before he and Serena left.

Dan flipped through one of the catalogs and shook his head. "This is going to take forever."

"So we'd better get started," Calleigh said, pulling one of the books toward her.

"How much do we have left in the budget?" Ross asked, taking a seat.

"Depends on how much time it takes them to hook up the system," Calleigh replied

"So, we're supposed to order without a budget?" Dan questioned in disbelief.

"We can get an idea of what we want to order and work from there when we get the budget balanced," Ross sensibly suggested.

"I just hope these clowns don't purposely work overschedule just to get a bigger pay-up," he groaned.

Calleigh rolled her eyes, getting frustrated with all the negativity and moans; on a daily basis, the guys seemed to feel the need to complain about one thing or another and, in her eyes, that never accomplished anything. She excused herself to go into the hall, pulling out a crisp one dollar bill for the vending machine. She smoothed the wrinkled paper against the corner of the vending machine and inserted it into the slot.

She called for a bag of M&Ms and collected them as well as her change.

"Kind of early to be hitting the chocolate, isn't it?" Ricky asked as he approached her.

"No such thing," Calleigh shook her head. "Especially on days like today."

"Meaning?" he raised a confused eyebrow.

"Apparently, people hate ordering."

"Ordering?"

"Yeah," she nodded. "Can't say I blame them."

"Sounds like someone's sick of the lab," he smirked.

"What was your first clue?"

Ricky laughed. "Well, we can always use a fresh set of eyes on an investigation. What do you say? Want to come see how St. Louis handles a crime scene?"

Calleigh looked back at the break room and said, "Let me get back to you on that."

* * *

><p>After a brief conversation and compromise with the rest of her colleagues, Calleigh was permitted (under the promised she wouldn't collect any evidence) to go on the crime scene the CSIs were working. There was a rural patch of land just outside city limits and this was where the team at SLPD had to travel to find their dead body.<p>

"Nice to see you out of the lab, Duquesne," Serena said with a smile as she snapped a shot of the slain biker, his motorcycle a short distance from his contorted body. Blood poured from the compression of his skull and his limbs were twisted in awkward positions.

"See, this is why we wear helmets," the Medical Examiner said as he worked over the body. The M.E had to be barely thirty with his hair was pulled back into a short blonde ponytail and appeared comfortable in his jeans/shirt ensemble. "Looks like blunt force trauma, broken neck and probably internal organ damage. I'll have to get him open to determine true COD."

"Check out these tires," Thomas called over from the motorcycle.

"What've you got?" Captain Sinise asked, looking over his team with his arms crossed.

"Punctures in the tires."

"Spike strip?" Calleigh suggested.

"More than likely," he nodded. Ricky had already started inspecting the road for the nearby strip before letting them travel to the side of the road. He pushed aside a nearby bush and shouted over, "Found it!"

"Bag it," Sinise said. Ricky photographed it before snapping on his gloves and collecting the evidence.

"Looks new," Ricky observed. "It couldn't have been there by mistake."

"Okay, get it back to the lab, start printing. Thomas, get the Harley to the garage. Serena, you and Jay look for more evidence," Captain Sinise ordered. Jay Clarkson was the detective of the team, Calleigh learned he was silent as far as socializing, but whenever giving orders and needing to make his position known, he could potentially break the sound barrier.

Calleigh lingered at the scene with Serena and Jay as they searched within the crime scene tape for further evidence. Jay stayed more to the side to search while Serena stood closer to her. Calleigh was secretly itching to snap on a pair of latex gloves and gather the evidence they found; one such piece was a gun just a little ways from where Ricky had found the spike strip, it was a nine-mil Kimber and the safety was off, something Serena quickly remedied.

"It's missing a round," Serena said, checking the magazine and the chamber. "Jay!" she called over to the detective. "I'm going to get Rick to print this then we need to get it to Jefferson."

Jay nodded, not speaking a word as he continued to look for any remaining evidence.

"Jefferson?" Calleigh asked.

"Neighboring county," she explained, placing the gun in an evidence container. "It's where we are getting our ballistics evidence tested."

"Right," Calleigh nodded, remembering how the firearms evidence had to be transported to a different lab for analysis.

"So we probably won't get results back for a few weeks," Serena mumbled, straightening up. "Our cases aren't exactly their priority."

"That's gotta be frustrating," Calleigh commented sympathetically.

"Well," she sighed. "It'll be worth it when that lab gets done."

Calleigh nodded.

"Maybe once it's done we'll be able to-." Serena caught herself, cleared her throat and recovered with, "maybe we'll get ahead in our cases."

Though Calleigh was certain that wasn't what she had been about to say.

* * *

><p>"Okay, I managed to get one print from the strip," Ricky said, handing a printout of the AFIS hit to Captain Sinise while Calleigh observed.<p>

"Peter Fox," Captain Sinise read.

"Yeah, in the system for petty theft he committed eight years ago," Ricky said.

Sinise turned to Calleigh. "You said Serena found a gun at the scene?"

"Yeah, a nine-mil with one round missing," Calleigh replied.

"I've got it right here, Cap," Ricky said, opening the evidence box. "This is what I don't get, this guy lays down a spike strip to assumingly kill the guy, so why bring a gun?"

"Well, assuming it's his gun, I'm more interested where that round ended up," Sinise said. "It wasn't in his body or the bike."

"I'll tell you what was found on his body," Thomas said as he entered the lab. "That compression from his head, it wasn't from the wreck."

"Then how'd it get there?"

"Don't know, but check this out," he said, holding up an X-ray. "See how the bone fractures in a curve that goes down at the same time on both sides? Wouldn't have that symmetry if he hit the direct ground head first."

"So something with that pattern hit him in the head and the blunt force trauma is what finished him off?" Ricky assumed; Thomas nodded.

"You know, a motorcycle helmet might have caused that compression," Calleigh unthinkingly interjected.

Captain Sinise took the scan of the head from Thomas and held it up to the light.

"Yeah, I see what you mean," he nodded.

"That could explain why there weren't any scrapes on his face," Thomas said. "He hits the strip and goes flying off his bike. It breaks his neck and limbs, but it doesn't kill him. So the killer decides to finish off the guy by taking the victim's helmet and bashing it against his head."

"Whoa, whoa," Captain Sinise stopped him. "Why go through all that trouble when he has a gun with him?"

"I think I have an idea," Ricky said as he took a part the gun. "Calleigh, you might want to take a look at this."

Ricky shined the light down the barrel of the gun and Calleigh leaned over to look inside; there were bulges of residue buildup down the tunnel that was the barrel.

"It's sinful for a gun to be this dirty," she shook her head sadly. "The gun could have misfired after the first round."

"Which brings us back to the question: where's the first round?" Thomas asked.

"Okay, get that gun printed and then have Jay get it to Jefferson. Thomas, go pick up our new friend, Fox," Captain Sinise ordered.

* * *

><p>Thomas invited Calleigh to come with him to collect their suspect under the condition she remained in the passenger seat.<p>

"It may not be an action packed adventure, but it's got to be better than doing ordering all day," Thomas said as they drove up to Peter Fox's house.

"True," Calleigh nodded.

"Be right back," he said, stepping out of the car and heading towards the house. Calleigh watched as he knocked on the front door and addressed himself as a police officer. He stood there before traveling to the garage on the side of the house; Thomas stepped into the garage and out of her line of vision.

There was a moment of silence, the sounds of cars, birds and people were eerily absent and it made her skin crawl. Then came the echoing sound Calleigh was all too familiar with; the bang of a gun being fired.

That's when her police officer instincts took over and she unthinkingly rushed out of the car pulling out the gun she had been permitted to carry as a precaution. She began to approach the garage when a figure darted out, a gun was in his hand.

"Stop right there!" Calleigh shouted. "Put that gun down!"

The man smirked and raised his hands above his head, but kept the gun in his hand.

"Slowly put that gun on the ground!" she commanded.

He simpered and began to place the gun on the ground, only to pivot and take off at a sprint in the other direction. Knowing she wouldn't be able to get a decent shot at the speed he was running there was no other choice to pursue the suspect and she bolted after him.

He came to a wooden fence that was taller than him and he would be forced to climb; he jumped to get a grip on the edge, splinters instantly penetrated his skin but he ignored the burn, knowing the woman behind him was right on his tail. He pulled himself up with difficulty, he felt the gun sliding from his hand and his arms shaking as he heaved himself up; clearly his upper body strength wasn't that of Superman

He thought he would be able to swing his leg over, but a pair of hands grasped his jacket and he was jerked down, his mouth becoming full of dirt and grass when he hit the ground.

Calleigh pulled the man's hands behind his back to restrain him as Thomas, to Calleigh's relief, limped toward her. One hand clutched his leg; Calleigh noticed he managed to create a tourniquet from his belt that halted most of the bleeding. In that moment as he approached her, they exchanged a look and something in Calleigh's eye told her this wasn't going to go over too well at PD.

* * *

><p>"What the hell were you thinking?" Captain Sinise bellowed in his office when he got wind of what happened.<p>

"I heard a shot and reacted on instinct," Calleigh calmly defended herself.

"Instinct?" he scoffed.

"You know when you're on the force for a while you develop certain instincts you just act on in certain situations," Calleigh replied.

"No, _this _is what I know," he said furiously, his arms crossed. "You were sent here to improve our Firearm facility, not chasing down our suspects."

An angry silence settled between the two; Captain Sinise ran a hand over the bald patch of his head, his eyes aflame.

"Listen, I'll clean this mess up; I know what was running through your mind when this when down. But I don't want you anywhere else but that lab from this point on. Are we clear?"

Calleigh narrowed her eyes. "Crystal," she replied icily before turning on her heel, exited his office and made a beeline for the Firearm lab; any place associated with guns would automatically bring her some form of peace and the ability to clear her mind.

Calleigh pulled opened the door and found to her surprise, and mild relief, was empty; the computer techs apparently decided to take their lunch break. She took a seat beside one of the partially assembled computers, still fuming from their conversation with Captain Sinise and needed a moment to gather her thoughts.

Very early on in her law enforcement career, Calleigh learned that instinct was one of the few allies one had in this line of work and it was essential to trust them and that was what she had done.

Calleigh realized this wasn't her jurisdiction and perhaps she was a little out of line pursuing Fox, but all she could think was that a killer was escaping from the grip of the law and she had the ability to stop him. The problem was manageable, fixable, and Calleigh accepted the fact she had broken the rules and there would be consequences. But Captain Sinise stood there and spoke to her as though she were a rooky just off Patrol who couldn't comprehend the rules and regulations of the department and that greatly frustrated the CSI of fifteen years.

The door opened and Calleigh turned to see Ricky stepping inside.

"I heard what happened, you okay?" he asked, his usual cocky tone dismantled to make way for authentic concern.

"Yeah," she nodded. "How's Thomas?"

"They stitched him up and gave him some painkillers; he'll be fine," Ricky assured.

"That's good," Calleigh grinned.

"Listen," Ricky sighed as he sat in a chair himself. "Sinise knows you were just doing what was best. If the situation was reversed, he would have done the same thing, so don't let him get to you."

"I'm not, it's just…frustrating, you know?"

"Yeah," Ricky nodded. "But the important thing is we got Fox alive and we can place the gun in his hands."

"His prints were on the gun from the scene?" she asked.

"Yeah, and we found the missing helmet from his house; there was a bullet lodged in it," he said. "Once we get a match on ballistics, he's not going anywhere for a long time."

Calleigh was comforted by the thought, but there was still something bothering her. There was an anxiety that lived in every member of the team and it always surrounded the Firearms lab; it had been something she was determined to find out and Ricky was her ticket.

"Can I ask you a question?" she asked.

"Shoot," he said with a shrug of a shoulder.

"What's the big secret behind this?" Calleigh gestured to the room around her. "I mean, there seems to be more to this story than just wanting an improved lab."

Ricky licked his lips apprehensively and rubbed his palms together. "Well, I guess you should know," he sighed. "Okay, not too long ago, the captain had a wife, two sons, and a daughter. It was his second marriage and the two boys weren't his, but he loved them like his own. Then about two years ago, his daughter was a victim in a drive-by. She took a bullet to the spine; she was paralyzed and hasn't moved since."

"Oh my God," Calleigh shook her head in disbelief.

"Yeah," Ricky nodded. "We worked the case, but the bullet wasn't in IBIS, but we had a bunch of confiscated guns that could have been used in the shooting. Everything was so disorganized they didn't get test fired and compared to her case. By the time someone got around to it, the perp had vanished and Sinise's marriage had crumbled."

Calleigh nodded, starting to understand the passion the team felt about this lab. Calleigh had witnessed teammates of her own suffer traumatic experiences and then have a determination and a fire that hadn't existed prior to that event.

Suddenly, it all made sense.


	8. Hallowed

Chapter Seven

Hallowed

Calleigh had braced herself for Eric's reaction, knowing he would become worried, perhaps more worried than truly necessary, as was Eric's nature. But it was her obligation to tell him, to assure him she was safe.

Calleigh waited until she was certain he'd be home before dialing his number; she listened to it ring only once before he answered.

"Hey, babe," he said when he picked up the phone.

"Hey yourself," she grinned. "What are you doing?"

"Just looking over some paperwork," he sighed; it was obviously not a thrilling task. "You?"

"Nothing much. How was work?" She was stalling now, not wanting to rush into the conversation regarding the suspect.

"Fine," he replied indifferently. "How about you?"

"Um…." Calleigh hesitated. "That's kind of why I called."

"What's going on?" he asked worriedly.

Calleigh licked her suddenly dry lips. "Well, they allowed me to go with them in the field today, you know, to observe and-."

"What happened?" Eric was suddenly anxious. He hadn't been worried about her going to a new city originally because he thought she would be in the safety of the lab at all times. In Miami, she knew the territory and its secrets, she was prepared for its venom; St. Louis was a stranger and there were dangers she was unfamiliar with and that's what scared him.

"One of the CSIs went to make an arrest and I went with him. When he went in, there was a gunshot and the suspect came running out and-."

"Calleigh, don't tell me you went after the guy," he groaned.

"Of course I did," she said obviously; Eric should know she would act in those types of situations.

"Cal-."

"It was a knee-jerk reaction," Calleigh sighed as she grabbed her coffee mug from the table. "Any other good cop in my shoes would have done the exact same thing."

"Maybe, but you could have gotten killed," Eric said, his voice now stressed. Why was she constantly doing this, forcing herself into harms way? Sometimes Eric wondered if she realized some of the moves she made were dangerous and in these moments he would question her sanity. Then he would collect his thoughts and think rationally; of course Calleigh didn't intend to be reckless and she was always just doing what she had been trained to do…but that didn't ease his worry. "I mean, you didn't have the ability to call back-up and-."

"Look, the captain here just gave me lecture over this, I don't need another," Calleigh snapped, placing her mug in the sink.

"What do you want me to say? 'Calleigh, I'm so glad you ran after a suspect who could have killed you?'" he demanded.

"Of course not," she rolled her eyes, leaning against the counter. "I just wanted to keep you in the loop."

There was a silence, only light static could be heard between them; Calleigh knew this would be his exact reaction. Calleigh knew Eric better than she knew practically anyone else and she knew how he responded in these times. First he would become frustrated out of worry and his temper would occasionally appear, which would then be matched with her own. Then he would begin to interrogate her to see if she was truly safe before accepting that she was fine; only then would he be calm.

In this moment, Calleigh wanted to return home and prove to him that she was safe, wrap her arms around his warm body and just give him a reassuring smile.

"See, I'm fine," she would say; Calleigh could almost see him smile in reply then return her embrace. Calleigh could almost feel him holding her.

"But you're okay, right?" Eric asked, breaking her fantasy.

"Yeah," she assured him. "I'm fine and so is the other CSI."

"Well, that's the important thing," he said softly.

"Yeah," Calleigh nodded.

"So the Captain chewed you out?" he changed the subject, though there was still a trace of stress present in his voice.

"Yeah, but it's not a big deal," Calleigh shrugged a shoulder. "I'm just not allowed back in the field."

"Well, at least then the lab can get done and you can come home," he grinned.

"Yeah," Calleigh half-smiled. "I kind of want to be home right now."

"You and me both," Eric said with the sound of barking close to him. "And Wesson," he added.

Calleigh chuckled and headed towards her bedroom, falling back into the sheets. "Hopefully the computers will get hooked up in the lab soon and we can get everything else done soon," she sighed. "I'm really missing Miami."

"Miami misses you," he said with a smirk, quoting back the line she had said to him years ago; Calleigh laughed a little bit at the line.

* * *

><p>The light breeze passed through the trees, making the leaves rustle and the usual stifling heat a tad more bearable, but it wasn't the heat that was bothering Eric as his shoes touched the blades of grass when he entered the cemetery. Ever since Calleigh told him about the incident in St. Louis he was constantly stressing over Calleigh's safety; he was well aware she could handle herself and that she wouldn't be in the field, but it reinstated the fact something could change and she could immediately put in harm's way when she was so far.<p>

Eric needed a place to clear his mind, to release his feelings; thus with a bouquet of flowers in hand he approached his sister's grave. Marisol had been the closest to his age and the sister he confided in the most in their younger years; to this day he missed the conversations they had and the caring but honest guidance she would offer. She had such a technicolor point of view that put the world in a perspective that made him believe maybe there could be more good in the world than bad. Eric needed that now, but he'd have to settle for her grave. He looked onto the stone where the engraving read:

_Marisol Delko Caine_

_1978-2006_

Eric kneeled down and placed the carnations at the base of the stone.

"Hey, Mari," he grinned; it was still strange not being able to hear her reply. "I guess you've been seeing everything that's been going on down here…and you know Cal is in Missouri, trying to fix up their Firearm lab." Even he could hear the affection he had for Calleigh as he said those words, a tone that simply came naturally without it being forced to appear. Were Marisol still alive today, he knew her reaction would be identical to Gabriella and Katrina's whenever they heard him talk about Calleigh. First she would roll her eyes at his complete sappiness, however smile at the fact he had found the half that made him whole; she'd genuinely be happy for him.

"She, um, gave me a scare the other day," he admitted with a quiet chuckle. "She got involved in arresting a suspect and…well, let's just say we're lucky things ended the way they did….I wasn't worried about her being up there until now." He sighed and shook his head. "I don't know, maybe I'm overreacting.

"It's just so hard being so far from her," he whispered. "I had no idea I'd miss her _this _much. I miss seeing her at work, at home and it's so weird not being able to see her when she's talking or laughing. I know it sounds pathetic, but I miss her so much that I'm going crazy."

For a second, his eyes gravitated towards the sky, the clouds were thin and wispy, a streak of white paint across the blue canvas and Eric wished Calleigh were with him to experience this beautiful day.

"I love her so much, Mari," Eric declared, his eyes resting on the headstone again. "I don't know what I would have done had something happened to her; she's everything to me, Marisol, you know that."

On a few of his past visits, especially right after her got shot, Eric had spent hours talking to his departed sister about the love he felt for Calleigh. He told her every detail about Calleigh's support, friendship and eventual love they shared. Eric knew Marisol had wanted him to find someone who made him as happy as Horatio had made her, now he finally found that special person and he knew his sister would approve. She would also be empathetic with how much he missed his love, for she was constantly missing hers.

"But she'll be home soon," he reminded himself before changing the subject. "Horatio is doing fine, so is Mami, Papi and everyone.

He sat there and informed her of everything that involved the family, from their nieces and nephews to their in-laws and, of course, her husband. Then when the time came to leave, Eric said goodbye with a heavy heart.

"I'll come back soon, sis," he promised, running his fingertips along the curve of the stone. "I love you."

He rose to his feet, staring at the carved in words a final time before walking out of the cemetery, not allowing himself to look back until he was in his car; he took one last lingering look at the graves before pulling away, watching them grow smaller and smaller in his rearview mirror.


	9. Pure

Chapter Eight

Pure

Dan had first accepted this job offer with little to no idea exactly what this job of refurnishing this lab would entail. Now he found the experience was bittersweet, for many of the tasks were tedious and just downright frustrating. There were nights he stared at the ceiling of his guest room, he had a friend who resided in St. Louis who offered the room, and wondered why he was there. Back home he had a fiancée and their two-year-old son, both who he was missing terribly and whenever his son asked him when he was coming home, he often regretted leaving his home. But his fiancée encouraged him, promising it would all be worth it in the end.

He could say, however, that his colleagues were fairly easy to get along with. They all seemed to be on the same wavelength as far as how they felt the lab should function, but when they hit bumps, the stubbornness within each investigator arose and was normally difficult to get passed. He would admit he was the most inflexible when it came to his opinions, which normally seemed to be the one Ross clashed with the most. Steve would usually roll his eyes when the discussion became intense and not comment on the situation while Calleigh would become the mediator and form a compromise among the four of them; only then would Steve interject.

Steve, as Dan quickly learned, was as solemn as they came. Seldom did he smile or make a joke, and when he spoke it was usually only for business and rarely for social intentions. Calleigh had the same seriousness towards the job and kept professional, but also had quite a positive and social attitude that made her easy to get along with. However, Dan would sometimes get frustrated when she had energy and joy in the mornings when he, on the other hand, wasn't a morning person and couldn't help getting aggravated by her positivity at eight in the morning. This was nothing, however, compared to Ross, who he had the most difficulty getting along with. Ross was the eldest of the group and, in Dan's eyes, thought that gave him some form of superiority. To Dan, Ross had a personality in which others opinions couldn't match his own, except perhaps Calleigh's, then again they had a history and it made her opinions have some value. Dan was relieved trait only lasted while they were conducting business and not outside the lab, otherwise he wouldn't be able to tolerate him whenever they were away from PD on a night like this.

Captain Sinise may not have been thrilled with the events that occurred on the day Calleigh took down Peter Fox, but Thomas had a different perspective. Having had no more than a few bruises since he joined the police, he had been overjoyed to have received his first battle scar: his gunshot wound. He was insistent on celebrating the wound a few days after he was released from the hospital by inviting his fellow CSIs and guests out to dinner.

There was an Asian Buffet Thomas was fond of that he took Serena, Steve, Ross, Ricky, Dan, and Calleigh to. The walls were decorated with memorabilia from the Asian countries with a dragon fountain in the middle of the faux plants. When they entered, the overwhelming aroma of spices overcame Dan and caused his mouth to water.

They sat at one of the tables in the back. Dan took a seat by Ricky who was sitting to the right of Calleigh and gave her a crooked smile; while Calleigh took no notice, Dan did and rolled his eyes.

Their waitress took their drink orders then they proceeded to the buffet line, indulging themselves in the splendors the restaurant had to offer. Dan returned to the table with crab legs, egg rolls, rice and other delicacies crammed onto one plate; many of the others at the table attempted to eat with the chopsticks provided, but he didn't care to waste his time and just used his fork to eat his meal.

"Okay, everyone," Thomas announced, raising his glass. "Here's to my first battle scar since joining the force and here's hoping I don't get anymore."

"And we're all glad you're not dead," Ricky smirked.

"That too," Thomas nodded, peering over his glasses. "The guy was a lousy shot."

"Or maybe he knew better than to kill a cop," Dan said.

"Either way, I'm alive and have the scars to prove it," he grinned.

The others chuckled and shook their heads; Thomas desperately needed to straighten his priorities. But the subject dropped as little conversations broke off along the table. On one side of Dan, he heard Serena and Ross discussing their differing opinions on capital punishment; a conversation he wasn't keen on jumping in on. While on his other side, Ricky, Thomas, and Calleigh had restarted the conversation of battle scars; Calleigh was admitting that she had yet to have a bullet penetrate her, however she seemed to have reoccurring instances with fires.

"Wait," Thomas interrupted her at one point. "You knew your lungs couldn't handle it, but you went in for the kid anyway? Are you nuts?"

"It's been suggested," Calleigh shrugged a shoulder as she collected some noodles between her chopsticks.

"You've got guts, Duquesne," Ricky commented with a smile. "I like it."

"It wasn't a matter of guts," she said; Dan wasn't sure if she purposely ignored Ricky's flirt or if she was a simply oblivious to it. Calleigh chewed on the pasta a moment before swallowing, only then did she continue. "I just did what any CSI would have done."

"You mean what any firefighter would have done," Thomas mumbled.

"Don't listen to him, he's just jealous because you've been in two fires and all he has is a scar on his thigh," Ricky whispered to Calleigh, who quietly laughed and Thomas rolled his eyes at his friend's comment.

"How do you do that?" Ricky asked Calleigh, gesturing at how she was using her chopsticks with ease.

"Practice," she shrugged.

"Eat a lot of Chinese?" he assumed.

She chortled. "There are some nights you don't feel like cooking and take out is the only option."

"I hear you," Ricky nodded. "Can't remember the last time I actually cooked something."

"So why can't you use chopsticks, then?" she asked.

"I'm more of burger guy," he admitted.

Dan saw how Ricky's lips kept jerking up into a half smile as he spoke, a glitter of joy in his eye; Ricky wasn't even aware of it. He simply felt comfortable around Calleigh, she was intelligent and friendly, however strong and professional. Most women he met who were strong were always too proud of that fact and gave them an unpleasant personality; it was refreshing to see that Calleigh didn't have that.

* * *

><p>"Thanks for dinner, Tom," Serena said as they left the buffet.<p>

"Not a problem," he assured them, as they ventured to the parking lot. "You guys have a good night."

"Take care of that leg," Dan joked, nodding at the crutches Thomas was forced to use.

"Will do."

Calleigh waved goodbye to the people surrounding her before heading towards her rental car as she dug out her keys.

"Hey, Calleigh!" Ricky called, jogging to catch up with her at her car. "Can I talk to you?"

"Yeah, sure," she allowed as she hit the button to unlock her car.

Ricky took a deep breath, wringing his hands together, his usual confidence having deteriorated.

"Okay," he finally said. "I'll make this quick, do you want to go on a date with me?"

"Oh," she responded surprised. She had tried to overlook some of the comments and actions from him, certain she had been imagining the words, but now he stood there with his eyes hopeful and she was going to have to extinguish it. "R-Ricky, I'm flattered but, um." Calleigh felt a mixture of awful and awkward having to tell him this, in truth she didn't know him all that well and telling him about her social life wasn't a pleasant feeling. "I have a boyfriend, back home in Miami."

The disappointment was apparent on Ricky's face, but quickly tried to recover. "Of course," he said. "I didn't even…yeah, um, that's fine."

"Ricky-."

"I'm sorry," he said. "Forget I mentioned it…. This is officially awkward."

Calleigh couldn't agree more as she ran a hand through the front strand of her hair.

"Well, I'm going to go," he sighed, jamming his hands into his pockets. "I'll see you around."

"Yeah," Calleigh nodded before he turned away towards his own car.

Calleigh opened her door and slid into the seat. She closed the door and put the keys in the ignition, however didn't turn them. She released a heavy breath, she was relieved to be away from the awkward atmosphere, but at the same time she felt an incredible sense of guilt. Rejection was never pleasant, whether you were the one giving or receiving it.

Finally, after she collected her thoughts, she started the car and pulled away from the restaurant.

* * *

><p>Calleigh sat on the couch in her apartment, attempting to erase the conversation with Ricky from her mind. She had a steaming mug of tea in her hand as she sat and listened to the sounds of the surrounding city, hearing the speeding and honking of cars and sometimes the occasional shout. Then another sound broke through the other noises, her cell phone; she didn't bother looking at the ID and just answered.<p>

"Hello?" she sighed, her voice sounding blasé even to her.

"Are you okay?" Eric's voice asked.

"Yeah," Calleigh nodded. "Just…just tired." She didn't exactly feel like discussing the situation of Ricky with Eric, not right now.

"Bad day?"

"Sort of," she admitted.

"Do you need some cheering up?" he asked, a hint of excitement in his voice.

"As long as it doesn't involve you singing," Calleigh chuckled jokingly.

"When have you ever heard me sing?" he asked.

"Never, but your sisters-." There was a knock at the door, interrupting her sentence. "Hold on a minute," she said, getting up from the couch, but once she said those words did the call end; he hung up. "Or hang up," Calleigh rolled her eyes.

She pulled open the door, praying her visitor wasn't planning on staying long. She pulled open the door to reveal the smiling face of Eric, a bag at his feet. Calleigh automatically threw her arms around his neck and crushed her lips against his.

Eric chuckled. "Told you I'd cheer you up."

"Yeah," she laughed, kissing him again; she was unable to put into the words the utter joy she felt to see him.

She stepped aside to let him in, letting him place his bag on the floor. Calleigh closed the door and smiled at Eric, she rushed towards him to close the distance. Calleigh threw her arms around his neck and linked her legs around his waist, making sure there wasn't any space between them. Eric's hands supported her thighs, staggering slightly by the surprise of her jumping onto him; he couldn't remember the last time he saw Calleigh so undeniably happy. Keeping a firm hold on her, he backed into the couch and sat down, her knees now straddling his hips; he instantly felt his lips being covered by her own. There was such a joy he felt being kissed by her again; he had gone without it for so long and in this moment his longing for her taste had been satisfied.

"Why didn't you tell me you were coming?" Calleigh asked when she finally pulled away her lips.

"Because then it wouldn't have been a surprise," he smiled.

"Well, I'm definitely surprised," she said, resting her forehead against his. "How long are you here?"

"Well, Horatio suggested I take a personal weekend, so I'm here until Monday morning." He reached up to brush his fingers through her silky hair.

"So, I've got you for three nights," she raised an alluring eyebrow.

"Mm-hmm," he hummed.

"That sounds perfect," Calleigh smiled, sliding into place beside him. "I missed you."

"Missed you too," Eric freely admitted; he cupped her chin and guided her lips to his. Calleigh kissed him back willingly, too long had she gone without Eric and his tender lips and the caresses they offered. Calleigh deepened the kiss and anything negative in her mind slipped away.


	10. Together

Chapter Nine

Together

Calleigh twisted in Eric's arms the following morning and looked up at him to see he was already awake, watching her with a smile.

"I missed this," he whispered as he played with a lock of her hair. "Waking up with you."

Calleigh grinned and placed her head on his chest. "Me too."

Eric laid his lips to her forehead and he realized he felt peaceful for the first time in weeks. This knowledge enforced the fact that Calleigh was all he'll ever need; as long as she was with him he could handle everything and anything else. She was his rock, his savior, his best friend and the woman he loved.

He glanced at the digital clock. "When do you have to be at PD?"

"Not until nine," she replied, turning her head to kiss his chest.

His eyes sparkled; he had her for two more hours. He wrapped his arms around her and hugged her closer to his chest, one of his hands stroking her hair.

Calleigh wrapped her arm around his bare torso, not allowing any space between them. The skin of her body rubbed against his and he transferred his warmth to her. She was determined to enjoy every moment he had here, knowing they only had the weekend before he would have to leave and this bed would once again turn cold.

"How about I make some coffee?" Eric suggested.

"Mm, sounds good," she smiled.

Eric pecked his lips against hers before sliding out of the sheets and retrieving his boxers.

No sooner had he left the bedroom did Calleigh grab her robe and tied it around her to also go into the kitchen; he just pressed the button on the coffee machine when he looked over to see her coming in.

"Missed me already?" he joked.

She rolled her eyes as his arm wrapped around her waist and he kissed her once again. His lips traveled down to kiss her neck, dotting kisses along her vein.

Calleigh smiled. "I take it you're going to meet me at PD for lunch?"

"You bet," he said, his mouth pulling into a smirk.

"Great, my break is at one."

"I'll meet you there," he promised.

Her smile widened and she hugged his waist. "I'm so glad you came."

"Yeah," Eric whispered, returning the embrace. "Me too….You know, you never told me why you had a bad day yesterday."

By now all the drama and complications from the day before had all but faded from her mind, all she cared about was the man before her.

"It doesn't even matter," she sighed.

* * *

><p>Throughout work that day, Calleigh constantly kept glancing at the clock, impatiently ready for her break so she could see Eric once again.<p>

Finally, one o'clock came and she walked the halls of CSI to the elevator, but when the doors slid open, there Ricky stood and her face fell.

"Hey," he greeted her casually.

"Hey," she replied, stepping on and expecting him to get off; however he stayed put and realized he was heading to the first floor as well.

Calleigh kept her eyes ahead of her, keeping her mind on Eric and not on how inept the atmosphere in the lift was.

"I hope what I said yesterday doesn't make things difficult," he sighed, clearly uncomfortable.

Calleigh rolled her lips; their conversation yesterday certainly made things harder. They had gone from talking casually to him thinking there was a chance and now they could barely look at each other.

Ricky sighed again when she didn't answer. "Maybe we should go get a bite to eat and talk this out," he suggested. "Now, maybe?"

"Actually, I'm meeting someone right now," Calleigh said.

Ricky didn't believe her, certain she was lying to avoid the situation; however he didn't push the subject.

"Maybe another time," he said.

"Maybe," she agreed. The elevator doors opened and Calleigh didn't look at Ricky again, her eyes remained focused on the door and getting out it. She stepped out into the sunlight, welcomed by a light breeze and she saw Eric, who had arrived via taxi, waiting by her rental car.

Ricky saw the back of Calleigh through the window as one of the Sargent's looked for a file he needed for a case. He saw her approach a tall man with bronze skin and dark hair. Her pace picked up a bit as she came closer to him and she wrapped her arms around his neck as the man wrapped them around his middle; the Cuban was smiling widely as he pulled Calleigh into him. She leaned out of the embrace and briefly kissed his lips; Ricky's heart froze as realization filled him. This must have been that boyfriend she had told him about the previous night; Ricky didn't know if he had just arrived or if he had come with Calleigh, but that didn't matter. What mattered was that once again another opportunity of love had come his way and he struck out again; now the evidence was there before him, almost just to show up and have a good laugh.

* * *

><p>Calleigh and Eric sat on the bench at a local park, sitting back to enjoy the beautiful weather. They were eating some homemade sandwiches, courtesy of Eric, and watched the people go by as they enjoyed each other's company.<p>

Eric looked over at Calleigh at one point, her eyes looked a little distant and she was chewing her food thoughtfully; he smiled a little and wrapped his arm around her shoulders, grasping her attention once again.

"I know that look," he grinned.

"What look?" Calleigh asked, confused.

"The one you have when something is bothering you," Eric replied.

She sighed and looked at him. "You've known me way too long."

Eric laughed a little then gave her shoulder a comforting squeeze. "What's wrong?"

Calleigh rolled her lips; she knew Eric and she knew of his jealous nature, telling him about Ricky and their discussion in the elevator could potentially have negative results. At the same time, honesty had been an issue in the past and Calleigh wasn't about to restart that trend by omitting a detail of her life from him.

She looked out to the park where children were chasing on another in a game of tag, where a teenage girl sat under a tree with a book in hand, and where two joggers traveled along the path. The day appeared too perfect to have any form of negativity just swoop down and destroy it; she would tell Eric, just not now.

"Can we talk about it later?" she asked, her voice carrying the sweet tone that he couldn't resist.

"Okay," Eric nodded as he bent down to kiss her lips. Calleigh smiled at the taste and texture of his lips, finding the comfort he had to offer and embracing it; he had no idea how much better she always felt after kissing him…he couldn't possibly imagine.

"I just want to enjoy this right now, you know?" Calleigh sighed; Eric smiled to show he understood, keeping his arm wrapped around her shoulders and, more importantly, close to him.

* * *

><p>Eric counted down the hours until Calleigh would come home after they went their separate ways after lunch. He passed the time doing some work on his laptop and answering a few emails until finally she would be allowed to get off work. At last, the door opened and he heard the sound of angry footsteps stomp towards the kitchen. Eric set his computer on the coffee table and approached Calleigh in the kitchen where saw was angrily opening a bottle of water.<p>

Eric gently put his hands on her shoulders; she tensed up a little, but then relaxed into his touch.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

Calleigh took a deep breath, getting emotions under control; she wasn't so much angry as she was frustrated. Before she left PD for the night, Ricky began to interrogate her about her "lunch date", having apparently seen Calleigh and Eric through the window. He had been bitter in his tone and Calleigh didn't appreciate being spoken to by someone she barely knew and who hardly knew her. She took the highroad and walked away before her temper got the best of her, though the blood in her veins continued to boil even now.

"Cal?" he coaxed. "What's going on?"

Calleigh sighed and turned to face him. "It's stupid. People are just…very frustrating sometimes."

"I know the feeling," he nodded empathetically. "Was it Sinise again?"

"No," she shook her head.

"Then what is it?"

She rolled her lips in apprehension. "You have to promise not to get jealous."

"Promise," he said, though he had no idea why he would have to agree to that specific request.

"Okay, there is a CSI who works at PD, we sometimes talked and…well, I guess he got the wrong idea."

"Really?" he asked, his tone dark.

"And then today he saw you and he wasn't too thrilled about my boyfriend being here," she explained, her anger fading as she got this off her chest.

"Yeah, I bet he wasn't," he mumbled bitterly; Calleigh knew this tone Eric had entirely too well.

"I thought you said you wouldn't get jealous," she groaned.

"I'm not." Then he reconsidered. "Not that much."

"Eric," she sighed, wrapping her arms around his neck. "You shouldn't be jealous, you know I love you and no one can change that."

"I know," he sighed. "It's just-."

"Listen, I'm with _you_, so _you're _not the one who should be jealous," Calleigh pointed out as she unraveled her arms. "Besides, no one here should be jealous, it's all ridiculous."

"Why is it ridiculous?" he asked as they headed towards the couch.

"It just is, I'll never understand why guys get so jealous over little things like this," she shrugged, taking a seat on the couch.

"A, this isn't a little thing," he said, sitting down. "And B, guys get jealous just as much as women do over the same things."

"Well, in my time, I've seen more guys get jealous," Calleigh replied as she removed her shoes.

"That's only because you are friends with more men than women, so you haven't seen it from women in a while," he shrugged.

"Ok_ay_," Calleigh chuckled, unconvinced by his argument.

"Let me put it to you this way, if someone were to ask me out, what would your reaction be?" Eric asked.

"Well, depends on what your answer was," she shrugged. "If you said yes, I'd have to kill both of you out of anger."

"You know that I'd say no," Eric playfully narrowed his eyes.

"You'd better," she smiled. "And when you do turn her down, I'd be annoyed with her, but not jealous."

"Oh no?" Eric raised a questioning eyebrow.

"No, because I'd get the last laugh," she grinned. "Because _I'm _the one who gets to do this." She slid across the couch to close the space between them and kiss his lips, just long enough to be kissed back before leaning out. "And she wouldn't."

"Mm, true," Eric nodded. "So when would you be jealous?"

Calleigh pondered on that for a moment. "If you left me for that Jasmine Douglas you dated in high school." Eric's jaw dropped at that name and Calleigh smiled.

"I'll kill Katrina for telling you that," he shook his head.

"Oh, she didn't tell me, Gabriella did," she smirked.

"Really?"

Calleigh laughed. "There are no secrets between me and your sisters."

"What else did they tell you?" he asked curiously.

"Just little things," she shrugged. "Like how the _Jaws _movies scared you when you were little."

Eric sighed and shook his head. "This is revenge for everything I've ever done to them, isn't it?"

Calleigh laughed a bit. "Probably. But, hey, you conquered that fear and now you sometimes swim in shark territory."

"I doubt they see it that way."

"I do," Calleigh smiled sweetly, leaning in to kiss him again.

"And that's why I love you," he grinned as he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her on top of his chest.

"I love you too," Calleigh replied, moving out of his arms and taking his hands. "And I intend to show you just how much," she said seductively as she led him off the couch and towards the bedroom.


	11. Care

Chapter Ten

Care

"You're so beautiful," Eric breathed the following morning, his lips dotting kisses down her neck, across her chest and between her breasts.

Calleigh giggled. "Babe, I have to go to work."

"No," he playfully groaned, raising up his head as he pulled her tighter into his chest. "Stay."

"I'm already on thin ice with Sinise, I have to go in. Besides, Professor Goldward is coming into see the lab and give us some feedback," she sighed, wrapping her arms around his neck; he pouted slightly and Calleigh leaned in to kiss his lips. "But tonight I'm all yours."

"Mm," he hummed. "I can't wait."

"So now is a great time to practice patience," Calleigh smiled before recapturing his lips, her fingertips combing through his short hair.

"Technically, I've been practicing that for about two weeks," he pointed out, mumbling against her lips.

"So a few hours shouldn't be too bad," she smirked, leaning out. "Now I really have to go, I'm going to be late."

"Cal-." Eric tightened his grip.

"No," Calleigh said firmly, trying to get out of his hold. "Because of you I'm already not going to have time to take a shower and at this rate I'm never going to make it to work."

"That's fine with me," Eric shrugged.

Calleigh shook her head and gently pushed his arms away. "You're going to drive me nuts."

"It's why you love me," he smirked.

She rolled her eyes and got out of bed, hastily pulling on clothes and running a brush through her hair; she grabbed a hair tie and pulled the golden locks back into a ponytail.

"Does this look alright?" she asked Eric.

"You look perfect," he smiled from the bed.

"You're useless," she sighed as she headed into the bathroom; she should have expected such an answer from Eric. She heard Eric laugh at her comment as she hurriedly brushed her teeth and apply her make-up; he soon pulled on a pair of boxers and was standing behind her, his arms wrapped around her middle, kissing her neck.

"You are both the most lovable and most aggravating human being I've ever known," Calleigh chuckled after applying a light streak of eyeliner.

"I know," he said innocently.

Calleigh capped the make-up and took one last look at herself in the mirror to make sure she looked decent enough to head out the door.

"Okay, I'm finally leaving," she said as she turned in Eric's arms and kissed him on the lips.

"I love you," he whispered.

"I know," Calleigh said with a tiny smirk. "I love you too. I'll see you tonight."

He nodded, allowing her to leave his arms and head out to work. He heard the apartment door open and close, then he was alone; he took a shower before making some coffee and opening his laptop to do some work.

By eleven, the silence was slowly driving him mad and he flipped on the television for background noise.

"And expect rain showers with highs in the fifties for Sunday," reported the weatherwoman in a teal ensemble. "Back to you, Allan."

"Thanks, Lindsey," said the news anchor with sleeked back hair. "The hostage situation at SLPD is still in progress and our field reporter Travis Breck is at the scene. Travis."

Fear gripped Eric and he grabbed the remote to turn up the volume, watching intently.

"Allan, about twenty minutes ago CBS picked up information about a hostage situation occurring at SLPD. Rumors have not been confirmed by any officer at SLPD, but there is supposedly a man in here holding four to five people in the Firearms department of CSI on a floor above the police department." At this point, the hairs on Eric's neck stood up. "So far, there has been no attempt to go in for the hostages due to the fact the kidnapper has reportedly been in contact with Captain David Sinise and trying to reach some negotiation. We'll keep on reporting as more information come in, Allan."

Eric didn't bother to turn off the television, he was reacting on fear and he was already out the door.

* * *

><p>Eric got out of the taxi before the cab even stopped. He tossed in some money to pay the driver through the window, not caring about the change as he sprinted to the crowd that stood outside SLPD. The mob consisted of a few police officers, lab techs still in their coats, newscasters with their crews stood desperate for information and a few concerned citizens. Eric got into the crowd and pushed his way through the until he reached the front; the group was being held back by tape reading "Do Not Cross" and a few officers demanding anyone who dared to cross to step back. Eric craned his neck to get a look inside the lower floor of the police department; he could see a small group of people inside SLPD, including some members of SWAT. Eric had worked enough kidnappingsransoms in his time to understand they were setting up recording equipment in case the kidnapper called again; they may get some evidence to help their situation or at least have something to present in court.

Ricky Lewis was one of the CSIs in the building and one of the few people who stayed with Captain Sinise when he told everyone else to evacuate. Sinise suspected the kidnapper had somehow managed to come in undedicated and, for some reason he couldn't understand, went instantly to the Firearm lab when the rest of the building heard rouge gunfire. Despite all attempts, they couldn't get into Firearms and, for the sake of the workers who didn't carry guns, the captain called for the building to evacuate; now all but few remained inside.

Ricky glanced outside and he saw a familiar face standing in the crowd, he appeared to be arguing with one of the officers, probably desperate for information. Ricky couldn't say that he blamed him; he was Calleigh's boyfriend.

"You know that guy?" Thomas asked as he set up another recording device.

"No," Ricky shook his head. "But Duquesne does; that's her boyfriend."

"Really?" he raised his eyebrows. "You sure?"

"Positive," Ricky confirmed.

"The dude's probably terrified, then," Thomas sighed. "What are you thinking?"

"I'm thinking that we'd all hate being in his shoes," he said before heading out the doors; all the cameras instantly landed on him as he approached the barriers.

"What can you tell us?" demanded one woman with a microphone.

"Have you had contact with the kidnapper?" asked another with a pen and notepad.

"Get the hell out of my face!" he commanded to all surrounding reporters as he approached the Cuban at the front. "You know Calleigh, right?" he asked.

"Yes," he replied instantly.

"Come with me," he said, turning on his heel and heading back towards the door.

Eric ducked under the tape and followed the stranger, not believing his luck as to being allowed inside with people who probably knew what the hell was going on with Calleigh.

"Ricky, who's this?" Serena asked Ricky when they entered; her eyes had a hint of determination in them as she set up her equipment.

"He knows Calleigh," he replied. Eric now realized who this was and had the situation were different, his envy may have returned, but this man had invited him in and he would learn about Calleigh thanks to him; for this, gratitude won over jealousy.

"Are you a cop too?" Captain Sinise asked.

"I am," Eric nodded.

"Okay, then, I guess you won't cause trouble if you stay," he sighed, sticking out his hand. "David Sinise."

"Eric Delko," Eric said as he shook his hand, trying to keep fear for Calleigh out of his voice; if he lost control of his emotions he would certainly be thrown out. "The news said that you've been in contact with the kidnapper, is that true?"

"Yes and no," Captain Sinise replied. "After he took down the Firearm lab, he called the front desk and told us to expect contact from him through a webcam."

"How long ago was that?"

"About ten minutes ago," Jay spoke up, his voice unhopeful. "What do you want to do, Captain?"

"All we can do is wait," Captain Sinise shook his head. "I don't want to go barging in and not know any of their conditions."

Eric instantly wished there was a way to transport Horatio and the CSIs from Miami here. Horatio would handle the situation rationally, however wouldn't settle for leaving officers with a madman while knowing nothing. But Eric knew he couldn't protest, he had no authority or jurisdiction here and trying to fight Sinise's order would possibly get him removed.

"Who else is up there other than Calleigh?" Eric asked.

"The other experts and Professor Goldward," Captain Sinise replied.

"I don't think it is a coincidence that this happens the same day Goldward shows up," Thomas interjected.

"Neither do I," he sighed.

A phone rang, making everyone jump a little and, once the shock wore off, did Captain Sinise permit Ricky to answer.

"St. Louis Police Department," he spoke into the receiver. He gave the signal to start recording, but no sooner did the machines start did the phone call end.

"What did he say, Ricky?" Captain Sinise demanded.

"He's going to be coming up on Web cam any minute," he reported. "Serena, is everything ready?"

"He just needs to log in."


	12. Wicked

Chapter 11

Wicked

The image that appeared on screen made their hearts freeze. It was apparent the hostages were unconscious by the way they were slumped over, the only reason they were sitting was because their hands were bound to a table leg; their mouths were bridled by rope while their eyes were covered by blindfolds. One of the hostages, considerably older (presumably Professor Goldward) had suffered a gunshot wound to the thigh with dark blood slowly pouring out.

A man, barely twenty-five, then came in front of the camera, dressed casually in jeans and a T-shirt; he had no mask and an innocent face, no one would have suspected him.

"Listen, now-." Captain Sinise began calmly; there seemed to be some recognition in his eyes when he saw the young face.

But the man's eyes filled with fury and took off the safety of his gun and pointed it at an unconscious Ross.

"Shut up or I shoot!" he spat.

"Okay, okay," Captain Sinise replied, trying to keep tempers from boiling over.

The man pursed his lips and lowered the gun. "This is how this works. You let me say my piece and maybe I'll let this sorry bunch of asses go. But if you send your cops or SWAT, I swear to God I _will _blow their freakin' brains out. You got me?"

"I do," Captain Sinise nodded. "I do, Trevor."

Everyone froze when Captain Sinise identified the man, even the kidnapper. His face was shocked at first, but he quickly found composure and clenched his teeth.

"You don't talk to me—don't _ever _talk to me!" he screamed.

"Why are you here?"

"For Mary, who the hell else?"

A flash of pain swept across the captain's face and everyone, with the exception of Eric, recognized the name as the one that belonged to Captain Sinise's paraplegic daughter.

"Why do you wait until _now _to do something—why act _now _when you should have acted two freakin' years ago?" he demanded. "You could have caught her killer, but you did _nothing_!"

"She's not dead, Trevor," he said patiently.

"She's as good as, and you couldn't even bring him to justice because of this shit-hole of a lab!" Tears filled Trevor's eyes then. "You let down the girl I loved!"

"I know, Trevor," Captain Sinise said, his voice full of regret and the pain in his voice was apparent. "But we can't change the-."

"Shut up! I don't want to hear it!"

"What do you want, Trevor? You have said your piece, now let them go."

"No," he shook his head evilly. "No, I intend to make you pay for what you did! And I'll start with them!" Right as the words passed his lips did a groan come from behind him; one of the hostages was waking up. "Right on time."

Trevor approached the source of the groan; Eric's heart froze when he saw it was Calleigh. She was trying to pull away from the leg of the table she had been restrained to as Trevor crouched down beside her, grabbing a hand full of hair on the back of her head and yanking sharply back.

Eric opened his mouth, about to demand the man to keep his hands off of her, but he felt someone's hand on his shoulder; it was Serena.

"Don't provoke him further," she warned gently, appearing to have read his mind; Eric clenched his teeth to keep from losing control. The task was made all the more difficult when Trevor looked up at the camera with a fiery anger in his eye and a twisted smile forming on his lips.

"One-by-one, Sinise, I'll make them suffer the way she did. I guess I'll start with this pretty thing," he hissed.

"Trevor," the captain said, attempting to remain calm, but Trevor whipped out a gun and put it against Calleigh's temple; it served as a warning to both Calleigh and the CSIs downstairs. The room Eric was in started to spin with fear as he tried to keep his eyes on Calleigh as she was being held at gunpoint, wishing all the while this was a nightmare and he'd wake up with her beside him.

"Fight me and I'll blow your brains out," he told her as he untied her, leaving her gagged and blinded. He gripped her hair again and pulled her up; she seemed to realize without any sight the odds of taking down this man with a gun weren't good.

Trevor quickly tied her hands back together, ignoring anything Captain Sinise was trying to say to negotiate. Instead, with her hands bound again, he jammed the barrel of the gun into her side and told her to walk, steering her in the direction of the gun vault, where he closed the door and Calleigh disappeared with him.


	13. Ground

Chapter 12

Ground

Trevor was so besotted with grief and anger that he was acting irrationally, taking out his pain on the innocent to hurt the ones he deemed responsible; that much was clear to those who watched as Calleigh was dragged away. And as they now tried to formulate a plan, Eric's eyes were meanwhile glued to the door of the gun vault. Trevor and Calleigh had been in there for three minutes and Eric hadn't breathed the entire time. He didn't want to imagine what Trevor was doing to her and the fear and anger grew within him. He heard no moans or screams come from the door, but that didn't mean anything; Eric knew Calleigh wouldn't give Trevor that satisfaction.

The door then opened to the gun vault and everyone gathered around the screen before Eric has the chance to call him over.

"That's one, Sinise!" Trevor shouted and Eric felt his heart plummet; what exactly did he mean, that's one? One tortured? One beaten? One dead?

Eric turned furiously to Captain Sinise and his stone face. "Are you really just going to sit and do nothing?" he demanded, his voice quavering with anger.

Captain Sinise didn't address Eric, but rather nodded at the SWAT team who began to make their way upstairs.

"Who's next?" Trevor asked twistedly. The others were slowly coming to, some trying to fight against their bindings without success. "You look pretty beat up, old man," Trevor said to Goldward, looking at his injured leg. "Want me to put you out of your misery?"

Just as he went to untie Goldward and inflict the same pain onto him as he did Calleigh, SWAT stormed in, breaking down the door and a mass of confusion swept through the room as the camera was knocked down and the screen went black.

"Let's get up there," ordered Captain Sinise.

The CSIs followed him up to Firearms, Eric behind them. He didn't care if he was unauthorized or unarmed—he had to get to Calleigh.

He got up in Firearms and Trevor was on the floor, struggling against the cuffs that were snapped on his wrists. Eric supposed the CSIs were helping the other hostages, but he didn't pay too much attention, he was rushing into the gun vault.

He flung the door open and his heart stopped. In the far corner, Calleigh had her back to him, her arms still tied behind her back, the blindfold and roped still secured to her face, but her body was limp.

"Oh God, Cal," he breathed, filled with fear; he rushed over to her, his throat tightening. He could tell instantly her wrist was broken and there was burnt fabric and skin on her side, the mark of a Taser. "Calleigh," he whispered, on his knees beside her. He placed two fingers on her neck to check for a pulse, but the second he made contact with her skin, she began to thrash around and kick as a way to fight back, unaware of who this was.

"Calleigh," Eric said soothingly, but she continued to struggle against him. "Calleigh, baby, it's me." He quickly lifted the blindfold from her eyes and tenderly held her face in his hands. "Look at my face, see it's me. It's Eric."

She relaxed instantly, resting her head against the floor. He carefully removed the rope from her mouth, the corners of her lips raw and red.

"What did he do?" Eric asked her, trying to keep his anger towards Trevor out of his voice, but it quavered a little.

Calleigh was fighting to remain conscious; her head pounding from when she hit the floor after the electric shock ran through her. She wanted to tell Eric, but her voice couldn't form the words and her brain couldn't fully make out the question anyway. All she knew for sure was the pain she felt over her body and that Eric was with her.

Only when a sharp pain shot up from her wrist did she realize Eric was unbinding her hands. A wave of nausea hit her and she felt the color drain from her face, a barely audible gasp escaped her lips.

"Sorry," Eric whispered as he finished.

Calleigh tried to tell him not to be, but her voice still wouldn't function. She was, however, able to move her arms; she rested her injured wrist in her lap and tried to use the other to help her sit up. But Eric put a gentle hand on her shoulder, insisting she lay back down. He moved to his knees and gently supported her head on his legs so she wouldn't have to rest her head back on the hard floor.

Calleigh closed her eyes and tried to overlook the pain in her head, arms and torso to find her voice. She took a steady breath, but it hurt her bruised ribs. The discomfort must have been apparent on her face, for she then felt Eric's fingers brush against her cheek.

"Don't worry, the ambulance is on its way," he promised.

She smiled at him and reached up to take his hand; finally, she was able to speak. "Is everyone okay?"

"Goldward was the only one injured. He took a bullet to the leg, but hopefully they've stopped the bleeding," he said, trying to keep urgency out of his voice to not worry her. "I think he'll be okay."

Calleigh appeared to have relaxed a little, knowing her mentor wasn't lost beyond all hope. In the distance, she heard sirens of ambulances approaching and she held Eric's hand tighter; she hated the idea of having to go to the hospital no matter how much she needed it.

"You were right," she murmured to Eric.

"About what?"

Calleigh smiled at little. "I should have taken a day off."

Eric laughed a bit as Calleigh closed her eyes and faded into darkness.


	14. Gravity

Chapter 13

Gravity

Calleigh awoke to a brightly lit hospital room; she noticed the pains were still present throughout her body, however dulled by the drugs that an IV was dispersing into her. She could still, however, feel her pulse beating in her temples and a warm hand holding hers.

She looked over to see Eric by her side, smiling at her as she came to.

"Hey," he whispered, bringing up her hand to his lips; Calleigh could see the relief in his eyes.

"Okay, let's hear it. How bad am I?" she asked.

"You are one lucky woman," Eric half chuckled, half sighed. "The worst you have is broken wrist and a minor concussion. Then a few bumps and bruises, but nothing life-threatening, thank God."

"And Professor Goldward?"

"He had to be taken to surgery and get a few blood transfusions, but now he's giving the nurses hell because he wants to leave."

Calleigh smiled, that sounded like something her professor would do, but then she began to think. He had been in and out of surgery? Already? The timing didn't make sense.

"How long have I been out?" she asked.

"A few hours," Eric replied.

Calleigh nodded a little, making sure she didn't move her head too much and tried to relax.

Not a minute later, Jay and Ricky came into the room, needing to get a statement from Calleigh. Eric suggested they come back tomorrow so she could rest, but Calleigh gave his hand a squeeze, assuring him she could handle it, as long as she first understood who this Trevor was.

"He was Mary's boyfriend at the time she was shot. Trevor thought the captain didn't do enough in the lab and that's why the shooter got away. In Trevor's mind, he couldn't understand why he was bothering to upgrade _now_, when it was too late to catch who shot Mary," Ricky explained. "He was in a rage and it forced him to act…."

"Irrationally?" Calleigh offered.

"I was going to say like a lunatic," Ricky shrugged. "But now we need to know what happened."

"Okay," Calleigh nodded. She explained how they had been working with Goldward and then Trevor came in with his gun, he shot Goldward and demanded the rest to face the wall and not to move or they were next. Trevor went to tie up Goldward and Calleigh began to edge toward a table where a few of the guns lay while his back was turned, knowing it was their only chance; she knew the guns wouldn't be loaded, but she knew from past cases that one didn't need bullets to make a gun dangerous. She was in arms reach of a rifle (which could have taken Trevor out with one blow) when he noticed her movements and he subdued her with chloroform then she lost consciousness.

"Then I came to, I was tied up with the blindfold on and then dragged into the vault," Calleigh said as one chapter of the story concluded; it was clear to Eric now why Trevor wanted to dispose of Calleigh first…she had given him the most trouble.

"What happened when he took you to the vault?" Ricky asked, Jay standing quietly beside him and taking notes.

Calleigh continued, describing how she had been Tasered, which resulted in her falling and breaking her wrist; she couldn't see what was happening, weakening her attempts to fight back. She had felt a series of strong kicks directed to her torso, but when she kicked back, he pinned her legs down by sitting on them, preventing any form of movement; she then felt the single punch that collided with her head. Calleigh couldn't remember when he left or any event that followed until Eric was with her.

"That's basically it," she sighed as she finished the story she hoped she wouldn't have to repeat again anytime soon.

"Okay, thanks, Calleigh," Ricky said, keeping his tone professional and, Calleigh couldn't help noticing, he seemed to be purposely avoiding Eric's eyes. "I'll see you later, take care of yourself."

"I will," she promised as the investigators got to their feet.

"Feel better," Jay whispered to her.

"Thanks, Jay," Calleigh replied with a smile, for this was the first time Jay had spoken directly to her about something not completely related to evidence. Then, with a final goodbye and a smile, they exited her room and left Calleigh and Eric alone.

Calleigh felt a sense of relief knowing that the questioning was out of the way and she could be left at peace with Eric as her only company for at least a little while. Eric, on the other hand, had a sad look in his eye after having heard what Calleigh endured and the pain that had been inflicted upon her. Though he knew Calleigh was more than capable to take care of herself and didn't need his protection, the aftermath of events such as these made him want to hold her closely, wrapped in his arms and never risk letting her go; he knew this was not necessary or practical and that if Calleigh heard his thoughts she would be slightly annoyed, but he would have gone to the ends of the earth to protect Calleigh and to ensure her safety.

Calleigh noticed the distress in his eye and gave him a comforting smile. "Can you do me a favor?" she asked.

"Anything," he replied instantly.

She grinned. "Kiss me."

He leaned down and, gently cupping her cheek, pressed his lips to hers. Instant warmth rushed through her and she wrapped her arms around his neck as he leaned out just to recapture her lips again.

"Thank you," she whispered when the kiss ended.

"Anytime," he promised with a wink.

He sat on the edge of her bed, his eyes briefly landing on her casted wrist before resting on her face. Calleigh wondered for a moment how many other injuries will become visible on her body; any bruises were certain to appear soon if they hadn't already and she knew once these drugs wore off she would feel the full impact of the injuries; she'd be ready for them.

She moved over in the bed and patted the empty space with her good hand, inviting him to lie down with her. Eric accommodated the empty space and gently pulled Calleigh closer; she rested on her side and placed her casted wrist on his chest. He tenderly kissed the fingers that stuck out of the plaster before turning to look at her, a certain amount of intensity in his eyes.

"I'm so glad you're okay," he breathed; anyone could hear the relief in his voice.

Calleigh just smiled and kissed his lips in reply.

* * *

><p>In the dream there was a man, a young man, but she was bound by ropes she couldn't see; all she could see was the anger in her attacker's eyes. She tried to move her limbs to protect herself, but the when she attempted to fight against the invisible ropes that held her, her bones felt as though they were being crushed. She couldn't avoid the blows she was receiving from his fists and feet and the fact she couldn't fight back hurt her more than the physical pain.<p>

"Get away from me!" she yelled at him at one point.

That's when Eric woke up, he heard her mumbling threats in her sleep and tossing a little in his arms; up on the monitor he could see her heart rate had steadily increased.

He held her tighter and ran one hand through her hair, his thumb brushing lightly against her cheekbone; the mumbling subsided as her heavy eyelids blinked open to reveal the green irises.

"It was just a dream," he whispered, resting his forehead against hers.

Calleigh nodded and attempted to smile. "I know…. I'm fine."

"You sure?" he asked; she nodded again, but her eyes rested on her cast. "If you want to talk about it, I'm here, okay?"

"I know," she said softly. "But there really isn't anything to talk about, we both know what happened and I'm fine. Really."

He gave her a small smile and rubbed her arm. "You don't always have to be brave, Calleigh."

"I know," she whispered. "But it's not a matter of being brave; I really am fine. Honestly, I'm just glad you were in town."

He grinned a little. "That makes two of us." He couldn't have imagined all this happening and him not knowing about it until Calleigh called him; that would have been horrendous.

Calleigh's eyes suddenly became sad as she realized the weekend was over and she rolled her lips.

"What is it?" Eric asked, concerned.

"Your plane leaves in a few hours," she sighed.

Eric rolled his eyes and shifted onto his back and sat up, leaning into the pillows; he wrapped his arm around her shoulders and allowed her to nestled closer to him. "Do you really think I'll be on that plane?"

Calleigh was relieved at those words, though a part of her had known that he wasn't going to go anywhere; she just needed him to confirm it. She rested her head on his torso while he looked down on her, stroking her soft blonde hair as she looked over at the clock on the wall; it was almost two in the morning.

"Try to get some more sleep, Cal," he whispered. "You've had a rough day."

Calleigh laughed a little at the understatement. "I'll try."

"Hey," Eric said softly, trying to catch her eye; she glanced up at him. "I love you."

The smile he loved came to her lips before she adjusted her head against his body and closed her eyes. "I love you too."

Eventually her breathing became deep and rhythmic, letting Eric know that she was asleep. He continued to stroke her hair as he watched her sleep peacefully, not daring to sleep himself in case she awoke or she had another nightmare. Besides, earlier today he was almost certain he'd never get the pleasure of watching Calleigh sleep again and now that he'd proven wrong; he wasn't about to waste this night by sleeping himself.

Eric kept his eyes on her face, watching as her nose occasionally twitched as she slept and how she'd sometimes release a heavy sigh before cuddling closer to his side. He smiled, happy to see her so at peace while she slept; the nightmares seemed to have eluded her this time round. His eyelids slowly grew heavier and he could feel himself becoming overcome by tiredness until he finally fell into a light sleep.

Eric was woken by the sound of a sharp breath being sucked in through teeth later the same morning. His eyes darted open and rested on Calleigh, who had a slightly pained look on her face.

"Calleigh, are you okay?" he automatically asked, concerned.

"Yeah," she breathed, relaxing a little now. "Just a bit sore."

The drugs from yesterday had completely worn off and now her injuries fully impacted her; she didn't even want to think how bad the bruises were.

"How's your head?" Eric asked.

"It's not too bad," she said truthfully. "I mean, I can still see straight, so that's gotta be a good sign."

"Yeah," he agreed. "Do you need anything?"

"No," she sighed. "Just don't go anywhere."

"I wouldn't dream of it," he promised, leaning down to kiss her forehead.

Still curled up close to him, Calleigh snaked her arms around his middle and held him, his arms repeating the motion to hold her. She closed her eyes and tried to think about Miami, about home. She tried to imagine them lying this way in bed on a lazy Sunday morning, the sun flowing through the window and landing on their skin, the sound of cars rushing passed the house and Wesson jumping onto the bed, demanding attention. The thoughts were comforting and it wouldn't be too much longer until they were reality again.

"So Ricky looked really concerned about you when he came in yesterday," he said in a teasing voice.

Calleigh opened her eyes to shoot him a playful glare. "Shut up."

"You can't deny the truth that he likes you," he smirked, though the thought did make his skin crawl slightly.

"Well, then I guess it's too bad I'm taken," she smiled at him.

Knowing that still made his heart jolt with joy, to know that she chose him and that she still returned the feelings he had for her. Despite their ups and downs, despite all they've been through, she was still happy to wake up beside him every morning, as was he.

* * *

><p>Calleigh's doctor checked on her later that morning, shining a light in her eye and checking her other injuries.<p>

"Well, everything seems to be set, your pupils are responding to light and I'd just like to keep you here awhile longer to be sure that that concussion doesn't get worse. If it doesn't, you should be able to leave in a few days," he said professionally.

"Thanks," Calleigh grinned at him, though she would have been happier had the doctor said she was free to go instead.

He nodded and exited through the door, when it closed Calleigh let out a heavily distressed sigh as she slumped against the pillows; Eric, who had moved to sitting in the chair beside her bed, chuckled a little.

"This isn't funny," she mumbled. "I want to get out of here."

"I know," he said with an apologetic grin; he began to play with a strand of her hair. They sat in a comfortable silence and just gazed at each other occasionally; at one point Eric asked. "Are you ready to go home when you're released?"

"Home as in?"

"Miami," he replied, a little surprised at the question.

Calleigh rolled her lips and sighed. "I can't go home, not yet. That lab's not done."

"Calleigh, I'm sure they're not expecting you to-."

"I know they're not," Calleigh gently interrupted him. "But if I give up, Trevor wins. If the lab doesn't get finished, he wins."

"But Calleigh-."

"I shouldn't be here for more than two more weeks," she said patiently. "Then I'll go home."

Eric could see the determination in her eyes and could see she had made up her mind; anything said by him to convince her otherwise would fall on deaf ears.

"Okay," he nodded. "And I can stay here with you, if you want."

Calleigh smiled. "What? Do you think I'm going to get into more trouble?"

"Yeah," he replied; Calleigh had to laugh.

"Well, of course I wish you could stay, but what about work?" she asked.

He leaned over her, their faces now only inches apart and she could feel his warm, sweet breath against her skin as he spoke. "You are more important than work."

She felt her skin blush a little and she gave Eric a grateful smile. He closed the space between them and gently rested his forehead against hers, being mindful of the bruise on the side of her head.

"I was so scared that I'd lose you yesterday," he openly confessed.

"Hey," she whispered, her good hand reaching up to lightly brush her knuckles against the light stubble on his cheek. "I'm fine now."

"I know," he sighed. "It's just…I don't know…." He took a deep breath. "I couldn't see how the world would have gone on if something had happened."

"It would have found a way."

"I wouldn't have," he replied, his voice sad. "If I ever lost you-."

"Shh," she shushed him in a tender voice. "It's okay, I'm here."

Eric sighed, realizing he was letting his fears from yesterday reemerge when there was really no need for them; Calleigh was safe now. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be," she assured him as he grinned and leaned out, taking a seat on the edge of the bed. "Have you called Horatio?"

"No," he sighed with a chuckle. "Guess I'd better do that."

"Yeah," she nodded as he pulled out his phone.

He looked at the screen and exhaled heavily. "Can't get a signal; I'll be right back."

"Okay," Calleigh said as he got to his feet.

"Don't try to escape while I'm gone," he warned with a smile.

Calleigh snapped her fingers in frustration. "Dang it, you caught me."

Eric laughed as he left, pulling the door closed behind him, as Calleigh leaned into her pillows. She reached up to brush her fingers against the bruise on her forehead and closed her eyes, praying this concussion wouldn't become more severe and she wouldn't have to stay condemned in this room.

The sound of the doorknob turning pulled her out of her reverie and she looked up to see Ricky sticking his head in.

"Hey," she said, surprised.

"Hi. Can I come in?" he asked and Calleigh nodded; he entered, his hands in the pockets of his jacket and he gave her a grin. "So, what's the damage?"

Calleigh shrugged. "Nothing too bad; nothing that won't heal."

"That's good," Ricky said with another nod as he stepped a bit closer. "So…where's Eric?"

"He went to call our boss, let him know that he's going to be staying here awhile longer," she replied, playing with a frayed corner on the hospital blanket at the mention of Eric's name; she was ready for the awkward atmosphere to surround her room.

"He, um, he seems like a really good guy," Ricky commented, now beside her bed.

"He is," Calleigh said with a small smile. "He's a great guy."

"I'm glad to hear that." He seemed to mean it too. Once the disappointment of the situation had worn off, Ricky had faced facts, knowing he'd have an opportunity with someone else, and now hoped he could smooth things over with Calleigh; he knew this could be his last chance. "Listen, I'm really sorry about the way things went down and-."

"Hey," Calleigh cut across him. "Don't sweat it."

He smiled a bit, looking relieved. "So," he said after a pause. "You got any single friends back in Miami?"

Calleigh laughed lightly. "None that will be willing to move," she sighed.

"Damn it," he grumbled. "I guess you're sticking around a little longer?"

"Yeah, it'd be a shame to let all that hard work we put into the lab go to waste, you know?"

Ricky nodded. "I guess it would. But no one is going to hold it against you if you want to get out of here."

Calleigh smiled. "I don't think I'm sick of St. Louis just yet."


	15. Leap

I can't express how sorry I am that I haven't updated sooner, I didn't realize it has been over four months since this thing was updated. Upon realizing this, I tried to crank out something as quickly as I possibly could. One more chapter and an epilogue remains after this. The good news is they are written, they just have to be furiously edited, so it shouldn't be too long before they are up. P.S- if the "odds are in my favor" (yeah, I've got Hunger Games on the brain), I should have a one-shot posted later tonight or sometime this weekend. Again, thanks for sticking with me and I hope you enjoy.

* * *

><p><span>Chapter 14<span>

Leap

Calleigh was allowed home two nights later, and the first thing she did was a take a shower to remove the scent of the hospital from her skin. She stood in the shower until the odor of latex and disinfectant was replaced by coconut and, save for the cast on her arm, no trace of the hospital remained. Only then did she stop the flow of hot water and grabbed a towel to wrap snugly around her; the material concealed some of the bruises that covered her torso, however she was still forced to see the one on her shoulder and on the side of her forehead.

The blemishes were healing slowly, with one on her head a sickly mixture of brown and purple while the one on her shoulder was indigo; Calleigh had to admit they looked worse than they actually felt. She dried herself off, an awkward task when only one hand wasn't incased in a cast, and slid on her robe. She pulled a comb through her wet hair and brushed her teeth, making herself feel refreshed before heading into the bedroom where Eric was sitting up in bed with his laptop resting on his thighs; he smiled delightfully at Calleigh when she entered the room.

"Hey there," he grinned, closing his laptop and putting it on the bedside table.

"Hey," she replied as she changed into one of his old shirts; like all the others it was too big on her and she loved the warmth it automatically provided. "For the record, it's hard not to get water on a cast when you're trying to take a shower." Her doctor had advised her to not get the cast wet if possible; he suggested wrapping it in plastic wrap when she took a shower, but she didn't have any lying around the apartment and was forced into one of the most difficult showers of her life.

Eric's lips pulled into a half-smile and he came up behind her as she pulled on a pair of black sweats; he wrapped his arms around her middle and put his lips to her neck.

"Well, if you ever need help with showering, just let me know," he mumbled seductively into her skin; the scent of her freshly washed hair captivated his senses and sent his mind into a frenzy. His eyes landed on the bruise on her forehead and once again dumbfounded as to how someone could have done that to her; how could anyone hurt something so beautiful?

"That's such a typical thing for a guy to say," Calleigh said with a light roll of her eyes, bringing Eric back to the now.

Eric chuckled and wrapped his arms around her a little bit tighter. "Are you sure you don't want to go home?" he asked.

"You know I hate leaving a task unfinished," Calleigh sighed as she turned to face him. "But if you can't stay because you can't get the time off, that's fine, you don't have to stay if you have to get back. I'll be fine," Calleigh promised, though she had to admit that having him around would make the stress lessen and the days more enjoyable.

Eric chuckled. "I know _you'd_ be fine; it's my peace of mind I'm worried about. I'll just sleep better seeing you every night. Besides, I've already cleared it with H."

Calleigh smiled. "Well, it may still be a while before we can leave. Dan and Ross jumped ship; they wanted to see their families after what happened," Calleigh said, having found out this information earlier in the day. "Can't say I blame them but that leaves just Steve and me to finish up, so who knows how long it'll take for two people to finish everything."

"Well, I know I'm no firearms expert, but you are good at bossing me around," he joked with a playful wink.

"You'd be willing to help us?" Calleigh asked gratefully, allowing his teasing comment to slide.

"Yeah."

Calleigh smiled and snaked her arms around his middle to pull herself closer. "What would I do without you?" she sighed.

"You'd be miserable," he jested; Calleigh rolled her eyes, though it was probably true, and stretched up to quickly kiss his lips before stepping away and climbing into bed; she pulled the covers around her, sighing contently at their warmth.

"You look comfy," Eric commented as he sat on the edge of the bed beside her.

"Mm, I am," she mumbled, smiling up at him and reaching over to coil her fingers through his. "Do you want to join me?"

"I will," he promised. "I just have to do something first."

"What's that?" she asked curiously.

Eric placed his hands on either side of her face and leaned in to tenderly kiss her lips. After all she had been through, he was careful to take it slow and not cross any lines that could make her uncomfortable. He kept the kiss soft and Calleigh seemed to enjoy it, for she began to kiss him back with the same motions. When their lips finally separated, Eric lied beside her and she cuddled up to him, resting her leg over both of his and placing her head on his chest as she draped her arm over his torso. He gently kissed the bruise on her forehead and wrapped an arm around her petite body; he looked down at her and he couldn't shake just how _right_ this felt. He stared at her as she rested against him and he wondered how a night couldn't end like this; but he had the knowledge that a few days ago a madman had almost stopped these moments from existing. Trevor could have taken away her life and stopped her future from existing…could have stopped their future from existing.

Eric had a ring purchased and had it stored in his bedside table at home where Calleigh would never have a reason to rummage through and accidentally run across. He had toyed with the idea of buying a ring for the longest time, then the night came when she had told him she was going to St. Louis; she had teased him about conveniently showing up after the laundry was done and the moment already felt so domestic and it only proved to him more that the instinct to buy the ring was right. Eric hadn't planned on proposing to her that night, but he knew he would ask Calleigh to be his bride and he wanted the ring there when the moment was right. Ironically, he currently didn't have the ring with him and he felt now was the time to take the next step; every fiber in his body was telling him _this _was the time to ask her, even if he didn't have the ring. He had envisioned this moment over and over in his mind, long before the ring was even purchased and always looking for the right time to ask this question; now, when everything felt so right, seemed like the perfect opportunity.

His nerves mounting slightly, Eric gently rested his forehead against hers and softly whispered into her ear. "Marry me?"

Calleigh's eyes shot open and rested on him, certain she had briefly fallen asleep and dreamed hearing those words.

"What?" she asked.

"I love you more than anything, Calleigh, and, now this is going to sound corny, but I know with everything in me this is right. I want to sleep in the same bed with you for the rest of my life and I don't want to delay asking you this any longer. Will you marry me?"

Calleigh lost her breath and just looked at him, her voice not forming anything audible. Eric felt his heart slowly sinking; this wasn't the reaction he was hoping for, he could safely guess what her answer would be and he didn't need to hear her refusal.

"Never mind," he grinned, attempting to be casual, kissing her forehead.

Calleigh's heart ached at the defeated look on his face; he was smiling to reassure her, but his eyes were full of pain that he couldn't mask.

"Eric…" Calleigh began, but she wasn't quite certain how to continue.

"This wasn't a good time to-." He paused. "Forget I mentioned it."

"You can't just forget something like that, Eric," Calleigh breathed, sitting up and taking his hand, relieved that he didn't pull away. As her head spun, she craved for the peace they had a mere few moments ago to return; those moments had been the most relaxed and happy she had been in the last few days. And as her heart shouted for her to say yes to him and to make the wonderful promise of being with him forever, her mind was still swirling with the events of the last week to handle the idea of a proposal.

Eric squeezed her fingers tenderly. "Look, you've had a rough few days. I know marriage if the furthest thing from your mind right now."

Calleigh wanted to speak, she wanted to correct him on her views on marriage, but her throat was constricted making it impossible to speak, impossible to explain.

"We don't need to worry about this right now," Eric whispered, desperately wanting to end this conversation to end. "You need to get some rest."

Eric reached up to touch her cheek and he kissed her lips briefly, before resting his head on his pillow and closing his eyes. Calleigh sighed with guilt and reached over to turn off the lamp before drifting into an uneasy sleep.

* * *

><p>Calleigh awoke the next morning and glanced beside her, expecting to see Eric, but only meeting bare, cold sheets. She had a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach and sat up so quickly that her head spun; fear pulsed through her, certain Eric had left. Her eyes then landed on his suitcase that lay on the floor, the watch on the bedside table, and some clothes resting on the end of the bed; he hadn't left the city. Calleigh released a sigh of relief as she pushed herself out of bed and headed into the kitchen, where Eric was just coming in the door with a box of doughnuts and two coffees from the coffee shop around the street.<p>

"Morning, sleepyhead," he grinned a little at her, placing the items on the breakfast bar.

"Morning," she replied, standing across the counter from him.

"How're you feeling?" Eric asked, handing her the coffee.

"Fine," Calleigh smiled in response as guilt stirred within her; it was apparent Eric was trying to avoid talking about the night before. She took the coffee in her good hand. "Thanks for breakfast."

"No problem," he assured her, opening the box of Krispy Kremes; he placed one on a napkin and slid it over to her. She gave him another smile, but he was no longer looking at her; it appeared as though he was trying not to. Calleigh couldn't help but observe how Eric wasn't meeting her eyes and that his smile lacked its usual liveliness.

She took a seat and began to nibble on the pastry, simultaneously trying to catch Eric's eye and approach the subject of him proposing marriage after she had just gone through an ordeal. Save for the night before, Calleigh continued to have nightmares about the hostage situation and had been waking up in the middle of the night to find comfort in Eric's arms.

"It's okay," he'd whisper before kissing her temple. "Just another dream."

"I know," she'd reply with a grin before falling back into a restful sleep.

She supposed that last night with being released from the hospital and the proposal that too much was swirling in her mind she was unable to dream.

Calleigh took a sip of her coffee and caught a look at the time on the stove. "Oh crap, it's ten thirty; I should have been at PD over an hour ago," she groaned, getting to her feet.

"Calleigh, they called earlier when you were asleep; you didn't even stir when the phone rang. They said you can just come in when you're feeling up to it."

She sighed. "Maybe I should go in, give Steve a hand."

"Cal, you just got out of the hospital; you're allowed an extra day off," he said reassuringly.

Calleigh figured it best to take advantage of the situation and strolled around to his side of the bar to come up from behind him to wrap her arms around his middle.

"Well, if we're not working today," she sighed, pressing her cheek against his back. "We should do something."

"Like what?" he asked; Calleigh could hear the apprehension in his voice.

"I don't know. We can go to the Arch, or go for a walk in the park and talk," she said, trying to slowly ease into the subject. "Or we can talk here about…certain things." Eric remained silent, thus she attempted to egg him on. "Such as last night."

Eric turned to face her, a sad smile, similar to the one he wore the night before, appeared on his lips.

"Cal, we don't-."

"Yes we do have to talk about it," she cut across him; Calleigh knew Eric and she knew he would have refused to discuss this. "And you need to understand that-."

The shrill sound of a phone rang across her sentence, not allowing her to finish. Eric fished the phone from his jeans pocket and looked at the screen.

"It's my mom," he said. "She keeps worrying about you."

Eric took the call as Calleigh sighed in annoyance and returned to her breakfast. She needed to make him understand that she never said no; she was just too overwhelmed to tell him her answer. Her answer would have been yes.

* * *

><p>The following night, Calleigh placed the freshly prepared fettuccini on the table and began to pour wine into two glasses. She stepped back to admire the arrangement on the coffee table; two candles sat on either side of the pasta, two glasses of wine sat beside the empty plates, and two pillows sat on either side of the table to sit on. It was very simple, yet on invitation one couldn't ignore; not even Eric in his stubborn state.<p>

Calleigh and Eric had went back to SLPD that morning and as they worked alongside Steve, Calleigh found her mind constantly straying from the mundane task at hand. Throughout the majority of the day, Eric refused to meet her eye and barely spoke a word that was unrelated to work; Calleigh knew his standoffishness came from a place of hurt, not anger, and she wanted to fix that…he just had to let her.

Throughout the day, Calleigh had tried to think of a ways to approach the subject for when they got home, knowing it would be impossible to bring up while working. Calleigh slightly wished she could talk to someone about this; she needed ideas of how to get Eric to listen. She could almost hear the voices of her friends in her head.

"_Well, knowing Eric it'll take time. Maybe you should wait for him to come around," Natalia would have suggested. "Or maybe if you just talk; there's a good chance he'll hear you."_

_Had Valera known, she would have said something along the lines of, "A little lingerie goes a long way. Get him against the wall and then he'll listen to anything you have to say."_

"_Baby, you know every last square inch of that man's heart; use it to your advantage," Alexx's advice would have been. _

Between the voices in her head and her own thinking, somehow Calleigh had managed to form a plan of how to ensure that she and Eric would talk. She had set the atmosphere, complete with food, alcohol and her in an ensemble she knew he would love; all she needed now was Eric to come back from the errand she sent him on.

Eric came in with the freshly bought batteries Calleigh pretended to have needed as a means to get Eric out of the apartment for a few minutes to prepare everything. His eyes raked over the setting and rested on Calleigh, who had on a simple pair of black sweats and his old T-shirt that she packed when she first left Miami; Calleigh knew to most this wouldn't seem overly enticing, but she knew that Eric adored this relaxed look on her. Besides, anything sexier would have lost its appeal with the cast and the bruises.

"Hey," she smiled, stepping towards him and wrapping his arms around his waist.

"Hey," he replied as she stretched up to kiss his lips. He expected the kiss to be brief, but she quickly recaptured his lips, teasing them a little; Calleigh knew she had his full attention as she finally released his lips.

"You look nice," Eric complimented her and, though this was an element of her plan, Calleigh still felt a blush into her cheeks.

"I hope you're hungry," she said, quickly recovering as she twining her fingers through his to lead him over to the table. "Because I made _plenty _of fettuccini."

"Sounds great," he said as he took a seat. "So…what's this about?" asked Eric, though he already knew, he knew the second he had walked in and saw the arrangement.

"You know," she said softly, sitting across from him on her cushion. "It's about your question."

"Cal-."

"No, you need to let me say this," she insisted, resting her hand over his on the coffee table. "When you asked me to marry you, it was… unexpected and I was surprised. You know, because of everything that just happened and it was all too crazy." She squeezed his hand. "But that doesn't mean my answer was no."

Calleigh got to her feet and came to sit beside him, never releasing his hand. "But even though things have been crazy, you've still been there. And, let's face it, with the job we're in we will always be in a whirlwind of crazy; but, even though we've had our ups and downs, you've still always been there in a way. For almost fifteen years you have been probably the most stable thing I have and I know that's never going to change. So my answer to your question will never be no."

Her words made Eric's heart begin to accelerate, but there was still a mild hesitation to accept what she was saying.

"What is your answer then?" he asked.

Calleigh smiled and looked into his brown eyes. "I, Calleigh, take you, Eric, to be my husband." Then a thought struck her that made her stomach twist. "If you'll still have me."

A wide smile stretched across his handsome face and he all but threw his arms around her waist, pulling her close to him.

"Always," he whispered before inviting her in for a passionate kiss.


	16. Dreams

I am incredibly sorry for not updating like I said I would. I have no excuse.

On another note, I am bringing back an old character of mine. For those who read **Meddling Family**, you know the character of Gabriella (Eric's sister) and the background I gave her; for those who haven't, I'll quickly tell you that I made Gabriella is an Army wife who lives out of state (my attempt of creating an excuse as to why we only ever saw one of Eric's sisters). Just to be clear, **Meddling Family **and this story have no connection, just the same character.

Again, so sorry.

* * *

><p><span>Chapter 15<span>

Dreams

_Two weeks later…_

The plane touched down in Miami and they were finally home; even from within the plane Calleigh could feel the presence of Miami surrounding her and welcoming her home. She and Eric rose from their seats upon the pilot's permission and allowed the other patrons to pass through before Calleigh attempted to reach up for her bag in the overhead compartment. She stood on the tips of her toes trying to grab the handle of the bag; Eric was able to grab the bag with ease and smirked a little as he pulled it down for her.

"Show off," she muttered jokingly under her breath as she took it from him.

Eric laughed as he took down his own bag and closed the door. They exited the plane and made their way through all necessary airport protocols before they were able to walk out of the gate where their fellow passengers were meeting their loved ones. Eric and Calleigh weren't certain if anyone was meeting them, but they wouldn't have been surprised were they to encounter a member of the Delko clan or the team and kept their eyes peeled just in case.

The airport was fairly crowded and it was difficult to distinguish one face from another until Calleigh caught a glimpse of a face she thought she recognized, but the individual she thought she saw could not possibly be in Miami, for she was states away...or so Calleigh thought. When Calleigh caught another glance of the woman's face and the man next to her, there was absolutely no mistaking the couple.

"Eric, is that Gabriella?" Calleigh asked in amazement; the surprised look on Eric's face confirmed that it was them. They hadn't seen them since Thanksgiving and when they eventually cut their way through the sea of people, they embraced them with cheer and surprise.

"Hey there, sis," Eric smiled as he gave her a brotherly hug.

"Hey. Welcome home," Gabriella smiled upon releasing her baby brother.

"Yeah, you too," Eric replied, still pleasantly shocked. "What are you guys doing here?"

"We both had some time off and we heard you guys were coming home, so we decided to swing down and see everyone," Jason explained as they began to make their way towards the luggage carousel.

"Did you bring the girls with you?" Calleigh asked.

"Yes, and Sophie is so relieved that she finally has some girls to play with," Gabriella grinned, having observed Tracy, Abigail, and Sophie for the last few days in each others company, playing everything from dolls and even getting the boys to participate in a game of House.

"How long are you guys in town?" Eric asked as they waited for Calleigh's suitcase to come around on the belt.

"Two weeks; we just got in yesterday," Jason replied.

Calleigh saw her bag approaching from the corner of her eye and she grabbed it with her left, unbroken hand and Eric took it for her once it was off the belt.

"Are we waiting on your bag, Eric?" Gabriella asked.

"No, this is it," Eric said, nodding to the single duffel bag he took when he originally thought he'd be gone for a weekend rather than a fortnight.

"Okay, we've got your luggage now let's get going. We've got a party to attend," Gabriella declared excitedly.

Calleigh and Eric exchanged a glance. "Party?"

"Well, more like a small celebration since you two and us are now back in Miami, but there will be food," she promised. "Come on, or Kat's going to think your plane was delayed or something."

* * *

><p>Calleigh sat in the back seat with Eric on the way to Katrina's house; the windows were rolled down and the Miami air, with its combination of sunshine and sea salt, wafted into her face and she breathed it all in.<p>

She opened her eyes to take in the scenery, wanting to soak up every detail as though it were a place she had never seen, as opposed to her home. She was not sure if she imagined it, but the colors in Miami seemed all the more vibrant and she felt as though she were Dorothy stepping into Oz for the first time, blinded by the amazingly bright colors that surrounded her. The sky was for the moment a brilliant blue, the palms on the trees were the richest of greens, and even the colors on the clothes of the Floridians seemed to be brighter than she remembered.

As they drove, Calleigh caught a glimpse of the ocean and the sun was hitting it so the blue water erupted with a thousand sparkles dancing merrily along the surface; she suddenly appreciated the water more and wondered how she never noticed its beauty to such an extent before she had departed for St. Louis.

The car Jason and Gabriella owned was tiny, thus Eric and Calleigh were sitting practically shoulder to shoulder in the back seat; she felt his fingers gently brush along the back of her hand that lay at her side. He had been watching her as she soaked in every conceivable detail and noted the small smile hinting on her lips and bringing out the dimples in her cheeks. Her hair blew with the breeze and whipped her face, only to fall in a tangled mess when the car slowed down. He now wrapped his fingers in hers and she gave him one of her dazzling smiles that never failed to make his heart flutter.

By the time they pulled in front of Katrina's house the sun was disappearing below the horizon; Calleigh saw a few other cars she recognized and her stomach did a flip of excitement at the knowledge that she would see her friends and family again.

The four headed up the driveway towards the red-bricked house; Eric twisted the door knob and pushed the door open for Calleigh. Suddenly Katrina threw her arms around Calleigh before she was even over the threshold.

"You had me worried sick," Katrina remarked before leaning out. "Everything that went down in St. Louis with that maniac was on the national news and I literally didn't move from that screen. I mean—what the hell is wrong with you two? Do you enjoy near-death experiences?" she demanded.

"What can we say?" Calleigh shrugged. "It's a rush."

Katrina narrowed her eyes threateningly, but Eric merely laughed. "You know, you look just like Mami when you pull that face," he smirked.

"I do not," Katrina snapped, but she was clearly trying to suppress a smile. "C'mon, everyone is waiting for you two out back," she said, ushering them deeper into the house to turn her attention to Gabriella and Jason.

As they approached the patio door they had to pass the kitchen and there they saw a trio made of Carmen, Natalia, and Ryan. Carmen was putting the finishing touches on what appeared to be hors d'oeuvres as Natalia poured some chips into a bowl while Ryan was holding a case of beer and appeared to be waiting to be told what to do.

"How's it going?" Eric asked, which made all of them automatically turn around to face them.

Carmen got to Calleigh first with miraculous speed and pulled her into her arms with surprising strength; she like Katrina, was clearly relieved Calleigh had gotten home in one piece.

"Apparently Calleigh is the last chance to get grandkids from you, so she's glad she got back alive," Natalia explained to Eric, giving him a hug; Eric had to chuckle at that.

Carmen eventually released Calleigh from her hug and put her hands on her shoulders, surveying her with her eyes, taking in her cast and looked as though she were searching for any other injury that wasn't so apparent.

"Are you okay?" she asked anxiously.

"Yes, I'm fine. Great, actually, now that we're home," Calleigh replied, all the while thinking this had to be the woman who gave Eric the overprotective gene.

Calleigh then embraced Ryan and Natalia, absolutely thrilled to see them-a month away from these familiar faces, it was now clear, was entirely too long.

"Are you two trying to teach my buddy Ryan how to cook?" Eric asked, knowing Ryan's culinary ability didn't extend beyond pouring milk onto cereal and microwave dinners.

"Trying, but not succeeding. Turns out he can't paint walls or cook; outside the lab he's useless," Natalia shook her head.

Eric laughed and Ryan just shook his head. "I've been taking this kind of abuse all night, but if they need me to fetch something, suddenly they're nice."

Calleigh was about to reply to this when she felt a set of arms suddenly hug her waist, followed soon after by two more pairs; the three nieces had clearly heard of their arrival.

"Hey, there," Calleigh smiled at Tracy, Abby, and Sophie. She and Eric lowered themselves to their level and give each of them a hug.

"I missed you," Sophie smiled at Calleigh.

"I missed you too, sweetie," she replied. "And I missed you two; we haven't seen you in ages," she smiled at Abby and Tracy. "If you guys keep growing you're going to be taller than me."

"How's school going?" Eric asked them.

"It's awesome!" Abby said enthusiastically.

"I hate it," Tracy countered.

"Why?" Calleigh asked.

"The boys at school are annoying," she sighed.

"Just stay away from boys, girls; they are nothing but trouble," Eric warned.

"You sound like Andy and Jason," Carmen sighed.

"And guess what?" Sophie said excitedly. "We're going to get a dog!"

"Really?"

"With them watching Wesson the last two weeks they've grown attached," Carmen explained with a smile as she placed the food onto a plate. "Everyone ready to head on outside?"

* * *

><p>The backyard was full of familiar faces and some new ones who were old friends of Gabriella and Jason that Calleigh didn't recognize. She saw Walter and Horatio conversing in patio chairs, Pavel at the grill, Katrina's husband and Frank, dressed more casually than Calleigh had ever seen him, kicking the soccer ball with Katrina's sons, and Alexx and Valera pouring themselves a drink; then of course Wesson, who ran up to Calleigh's feet with his tail wagging excitedly. She greeted her four-legged companion before making her way around to everyone else. Being back with them was like a child returning to school after too long a summer, being able to see old faces and feeling as though the previous school year never ended; now as Calleigh hugged her friends she could already feel the memories of St. Louis shrinking away in mind and importance.<p>

When she reached Horatio, he didn't ask her if she was okay or questioned her health status, something Calleigh was grateful for; though she appreciated everyone's concern, it was nice Horatio knew she'd rather let the past be the past and not give her the third degree, instead he simply said:

"Welcome back." He gave her a warm smile.

"Thanks," she replied. "How've you been?"

"Well, I'm still alive, so I guess I'm doing okay," he said. "How about you? Ready to get back to solving crimes?"

"Yeah, and it's going to be nice to get back in my own lab. By the way, how'd my sub do?" Calleigh asked, referring to her temporary replacement in Firearms.

Horatio sighed. "Well, evidence came out...just not as efficiently as we're used to."

"But it wasn't complete chaos?"

"Not _complete_; slight, yes." He chuckled a little at the face Calleigh pulled hearing this news. "Speaking of labs, did everything turn out okay?"

"Yeah, we eventually got everything up and running. I think the new lab will definitely help them," she said. "And despite everything it was a great opportunity."

"Speaking of which, Calleigh, you seem to always find trouble, no matter where you go."

Calleigh sighed. "Horatio, trouble finds me and no TRO will keep it away."

Horatio laughed. "Does always seem to be the case, doesn't it?"

"Story of a CSI's life, right?" she smiled.

Horatio chuckled in agreement, then he looked over her shoulder. "Brace yourself," he warned.

She turned in time to see Walter and Ryan coming up behind her; they came up on each of her sides and wrapped an arm each around her shoulder.

"Calleigh Duquesne, we're _so_ glad you're back," Walter said earnestly.

"Thanks, Walter."

"Mostly because, when you are not here, Delko looks like an abused puppy."

"Maybe now he'll be a bit less depressing to be around," Ryan added.

"Well, I'm glad to be of service," Calleigh grinned as she helped herself to a drink. "And to be back."

Calleigh shared this joy by making her way around to each of her friends, wanting to talk and laugh with each of them as they asked about St. Louis.

"So, Calleigh," Valera sighed when Calleigh reached her. "Did you meet any cute, single guys for me?"  
>"None that are willing to come down to Miami," she smiled, echoing the same phrase she used on Ricky.<p>

"Damn," Valera joked, shaking her head. "I was hoping that maybe Mideasterners would be more to my tastes than those in Miami seem to be."

"Well, maybe you just haven't found the right Miamian," Calleigh suggested.

"More like I haven't had _time _to go meet the right Miamian," Valera sighed regretfully. "Cases are increasing and time off is decreasing...Not all of us can find the loves of our lives at work," she added with a grin.

Calleigh playfully rolled her eyes in response, but had an idea. "You know, Maxine, I did get a few phone numbers; maybe you can change their minds and move them down here. I know for a fact one of them wants to travel, so maybe Miami can be his first stop."

"Mm," she hummed. "That's very tempting. Maybe I get one of them to test my DNA in a way that's against protocol."

"Oh, Maxine," Calleigh sighed with a laugh, shaking her head.

"Hey, I've got needs," Valera shrugged innocently.

"Fair enough," Calleigh nodded before continuing her way around the yard and finding Sophie sitting on one of the chairs on the patio alone, as though she were patiently waiting for something.

"Whatcha doing, Soph?" Calleigh asked.

"Playing hide-and-seek," she declared.

"Are you doing the hiding?" She assumed the strategy Sophie was using was to hide in plain sight.

"No, but eventually they'll come out and find _me; _then I'll tag them," she smiled, clearly quite proud of this diabolical plan of hers.

"But wouldn't it be more fun to actually go find them?" Calleigh pointed out.

Sophie considered this then surveyed the crowd as though debating whether she should get up and search. She gestured for Calleigh to come closer and she bent down so Sophie could whisper.

"There are a_ lot _tall grownups here; I could get squished," she said to Calleigh rather matter-of-factly.

Calleigh laughed a little at the logic. "Well, we don't want that happening, do we?"

"Nope," Sophie agreed, shaking her head and causing her tight curls to swish around her face. "Why do you have that on your arm?" she asked pointing to the cast on Calleigh's arm.

Calleigh wasn't certain if Katrina had told her children anything about the incident and decided to play it safe. "Oh, I just had a little accident and broke my wrist."

"Does it hurt?" She sounded concerned.

"Nope," Calleigh assured her. "The doctors took care of me and fixed it right up."

"Good," she smiled.

"So what have you been up to?" Calleigh asked, wanting to change the subject incase Sophie wanted to ask how she broke her wrist. "Still having fun with Girl Scouts?"

"Yeah, we're going camping on Saturday," she announced.

"Really?" Calleigh smiled. "Are you excited?"

Sophie nodded happily. "And guess what? When Tio Eric babysat he told me that he loves you."

"Did he?" Calleigh smiled and looked at Eric, who was still in conversation with Katrina, before leaning in to whisper to her future niece. "I love him too…but I love you a little more. But that's our little secret."

"You got it," she grinned, giving her a thumbs up.

Calleigh smiled at Sophie before glancing in Eric's direction, this time catching his eye and they smiled at each other; it was an exchange that did not go unnoticed by Katrina.

"So?" Katrina asked in a sing-song voice.

"So what?" Eric asked, confused; he knew his sister was wanting something specific, but what that was he couldn't quite figure.

"You know what."

"I don't think I do," he replied.

Katrina rolled her eyes. "Did you ask Calleigh to marry you?"

Eric looked at her, utterly surprised. "How did you know I thought about asking-? Mom?" Eric assumed as it dawned on him; Katrina nodded.

"Well, you asked Dad's advice on what ring to get, then he told Mom, who tried to keep it secret, but when you left, she thought you might propose and accidentally let it slip to me."

"Can't anyone in this family keep a secret?"

"They're just excited for you, that's all. So...did you ask her or not?" Katrina asked excitedly.

Eric sighed. "Kat, can _you _keep a secret?"

She nodded.

"I wasn't planning on asking her when I went, so I didn't take the ring. But with everything that happened, I changed my mind and asked her." Had he not been holding this in for two weeks, he probably would have contained the information and would not have entrusted it to Katrina, but he had wanted to scream it to the world for weeks and this was the only outlet he could find.

"Are you serious?" Katrina gasped. "What did she say?"

"We're going to wait to tell everyone, you know, once things get back to normal; so don't say _anything, _but," Eric could see Katrina wanted the suspense to end, "she said yes." It gave Eric a great amount of joy to be able to say that out loud.

Katrina's face broke out into a huge smile and cried out. "I can't believe my baby brother is getting married!" Most of the residents in the yard turned their heads in their direction; Eric instantly regretted saying a word to his sister. "Oh, shit!" Katrina cursed, clapping her hands over her mouth when she realized how loud she had been.

Eric sighed and turned in Calleigh's direction; he could tell she heard Katrina and was not trying to avoid the gaze of other people. Calleigh felt her face flush red as some heads looked between her and Eric while nothing short of chaos then broke out among the family and friends in the backyard; Eric and Calleigh were somehow standing next to each other and began being bombarded with a million questions.

* * *

><p>"Well, that's one way to break some news," Calleigh smiled as they walked inside the door. They had said their goodbyes to everyone at Katrina's as the party dwindled down; Andy gave them a ride home and Calleigh had never been so happy to see her house. When she stepped inside, the rooms were still polluted with unpacked boxes from when Eric moved in and was anything but spotless, but she could have cared less. She wandered into their bedroom, where she and Eric placed the luggage onto the bed that she automatically fell on.<p>

Eric chuckled a little and leaned over her, placing a hand on either side of her body to hold him up. "Welcome home," he grinned, his face inches from her own.

Calleigh smiled back up at him and wrapped her arms around his waist and inviting him to lie on the bed beside her. "That is music to my ears."

Wesson trotted into their room and jumped onto the bed next to them, gazing curiously at the bags and sniffing them.

Calleigh smiled and reached up to pet him before releasing a sigh. "I'm gonna unpack," she said as she got back on her feet.

She unzipped the nearest bag and began to pull out some clothes and began to hang them up in the closet. Eric opened another bag; most of room within was accommodated by Calleigh's high heels.

Eric chuckled. "I'll never understand why women feel the need to own so many shoes."

"It's a girl thing," Calleigh said simply, coming back to take some of the shoes off his hands.

"If you say so," he grinned. "I just thought _you_ wore them to make yourself taller."

Calleigh playfully slapped his arm and returned to the closet to put the shoes away.

"So Sophie told me something at Kat's," she said as Eric slid some clothes into a drawer.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah," she said, grabbing some more clothes. "Something about Tio Eric loving me very much."

"Really?" smiled Eric, approaching Calleigh who stood next to the bed. "And what did you say to that?"

"Well," she sighed, stepping around him to put some night clothes in the drawer. "I told her I loved him back, but I loved her a little more."

"Do you?" Eric asked, a smile hinting on his lips as she returned to the bed.

"Yeah. I'm sorry, but the cuteness factor gives her bonus points," Calleigh joked.

"Okay, I guess I can accept that, at least I get to marry you," he smiled, wrapping his arms around her middle.

"True, very true," she nodded before catching his lips in a kiss. "It's a fact that everyone now knows. I cannot _believe_ you told Kat about it." She was still laughing at him about this.

"I know," Eric replied, shaking his head. "But she saved us the trouble of telling everyone. Do you know what else?"

"What?"

He released her and grabbed the partially full bags on the bed, placing them on the floor. "That we should leave the rest of the unpacking until tomorrow."

"That's procrastinating," Calleigh pointed out.

"A little procrastination is healthy once and awhile," Eric replied, lying back down on the bed and patting the spot next to him. "We could just enjoy our time at home."

Calleigh smiled, kicked off her shoes, and stretched out beside him, snuggling up into his side. "I'll admit, that's not a bad idea," she said, resting her head on his chest as he wrapped an arm around her. Wesson rested at the end of the bed beside Calleigh's feet, stretching out to relax himself.

With how hectic the last fortnight had been, lying down to relax hadn't been something they were able to practice often; yet with this soft bed and the rest of the night, it was a concept they could get used to.

Eric kissed her forehead and caressed her arm. "You know, now that Kat saved us the trouble of announcing, we should make it official."

"Official? How do you mean?" she asked.

Eric smiled and reached over to his bedside table, opening the drawer and moving the contents aside until he found the soft velvet box.

"Calleigh Duquesne," he began, opening the lid, revealing a ring. "Will you marry me?"

Calleigh smiled, sensing how important this process was to him; he probably had pictured this multiple times.

"Yes," she nodded.

He took her hand and slid the ring onto her finger; she smiled at how easily the ring slid onto her finger, almost as though it were destined to fit there for all eternity.

"What would you have done if I had a cast on my left hand?" Calleigh asked curiously.

Eric shrugged. "I'd have figured something out."

She laughed. "I'm sure you would have."

With that she leaned in and kissed him as he wrapped his arms tightly around her waist and they fell into a blissful night together.

Later, as Calleigh slipped into her dreams, she relived the events of the last few weeks. She thought about being called to Missouri, meeting new faces and rediscovering old ones, getting caught up in the crime of the St. Louis streets and St. Louis drama, then having yet another close call that ended in a happy engagement; now she was back in Miami and all of its madness…and she couldn't be happier.


End file.
